Rumor: Maple Leafs and Penguins Talking Trade

According to Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada, the Sportsnet insider believes the Toronto Maple Leafs are working the phones and trying to do their best to upgrade at the forward position.

With the likes of Joe Thornton out at least a month and on LTIR, and Auston Matthews currently banged up as well, who may not play on Sunday in Calgary, the team is looking to bring in some fresh talent after an offseason that saw them do everything they could to find more depth up front.

In order to get some talent, the team will have to give up some, and since they have some depth on their blue line it appears one of their trade candidates is Travis Dermott.

Here's one reported deal:

Pittsburgh Penguins Have 3 Good Trade Targets to Shore Up Their Defense https://t.co/FBL8JKmHZf
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) January 23, 2021

The only problem is the Leafs current cap space according to Cap Friendly.....$32,321. That's hardly going to pay rent for the new player coming to town in downtown T.O.

In all seriousness, the Leafs will need to sweeten the pot a little with a prospect or a draft pick, and get the other team to retain some of the salary this season to make a deal happen. And with the COVID quarantine protocols in place once you cross the border between the US and Canada, expect a deal to come down soon, so the team doesn't have to wait to long into the season to add the talent.

For the Leafs, Dermott is expendable because the team has Mikko Lehtonen, Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren waiting in the wings for some regular ice-time. He's also still young and has value on the trade market.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Maple Leafs have a history and both teams have a need at the moment. The Penguins need a defenseman, and the Maple Leafs need a forward. Keep an eye on these two teams as there's a deal out there to be made and Penguins GM, Jim Rutherford and Leafs GM, Kyle Dubas are never scared of pulling the trigger.

Pittsburgh Penguins Have 3 Good Trade Targets to Shore Up Their Defense https://t.co/FBL8JKmHZf
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) January 23, 2021