Maple Leafs & Ducks Involved In Trade Talks

The Anaheim Ducks are in a huge mess, and general manager Pat Verbeek is going to have to trade his way out of it. Expect to see the Toronto Maple Leafs involved at some point.

Verbeek is dealing with a legit cap crunch, which is tough, because normally those only come after you win the Stanley Cup, or go deep into the playoffs, but Verbeek has the Philadelphia Flyers to thank. Leo Carlsson now earns $18 million AAV, and with Cutter Gauthier left without a contract for next season, Verbeek is trying to lock up the restricted free-agent winger, with only $9 million in cap space.

Trade talks have picked up considerably around Alex Killorn and Chris Kreider, but another issue the Ducks are presented with heading into next season, they need NHL defencemen. Anaheim's blueline is uber-thin, they have limited NHL experience, and it's 100% their weakest link on their roster. Insert the Maple Leafs.

The Leafs have an abundance of NHL defencemen heading into next season, with Troy Stecher and prospect Ben Danford expected to compete for the seventh spot, it leaves Philippe Myers as the odd man out. The Ducks should have interest in Myers, who showed flashes of brilliance for the Leafs over the last couple of seasons, is only signed for next season at less than $1 million, and is a pending unrestricted free agent. It's the perfect set up for the Ducks, who just need a body, frankly, at this point. 

The Leafs won't ask for much in trade talks, but if these two teams pulls this off, expect to see an AHL forward, or forgotten prospect heading back north to Toronto.