NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs Considering Several Trades

The Toronto Maple Leafs have some newfound cap space as defenseman Jake Muzzin was unfortunately placed on LTIR after suffering a neck injury. With his concussion history, it's possible that Muzzin may miss the entire season, giving the Maple Leafs an additional $5.5 million in cap space to work with.

While the team has a number of players currently on the IR and won't necessarily be able to use this amount for the entire season, Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has been working the phones trying to piece together a way to upgrade on defense.

Toronto has Pierre Engvall and Wayne Simmonds who have been shopped around this season and it's likely we see Dubas move one of the two along with a couple of prospects for a defenseman. The Leafs have some serious talent in the AHL and in junior hockey, so there's no shortage of prospects to choose from, it's just a matter of how much Dubas wants to spend.

Some early targets that have been linked to the Maple Leafs include Sean Walker of the Los Angeles Kings and Jakob Chychrun of the Arizona Coyotes, who appears to be a couple of weeks away from returning to the ice. Regardless of the 'who', it's the 'when' Leafs Nation should be worrying about. The team is desperate for help on their blue line and will be using some newfound cap space in the very near future.

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