The Toronto Maple Leafs are once again flying offensively to start the 2023-24 season, but on the blue line, things couldn't be more different, and now it appears as though their players know it too.
After making a huge impact in the Calgary Flames loss to Toronto this past weekend, Nikita Zadorov requested a trade, and it didn't take long for the links to be made to Toronto.
According to Elliotte Friedman, an anonymous Maple Leafs player reached out to the 6-foot-6, 248 pound defenseman, telling him that he's exactly what this team needs.
The Maple Leafs also have reported interest in fellow veteran Chris Tanev, and with Calgary having both of those players under contract, a blockbuster trade could be incoming very, very soon.
Ultimately, if the Leafs can get rid of John Klingberg and add to their blue line, the team will improve drastically, and while it may end up with them giving away several promising assets, it's a risk that apparently players are willing to take.