Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka has his sights set on a specific positional need as injuries begin to cause problems for the roster.
Chris Tanev is on the injured reserve right now, and there is no telling when he is going to make his return to the lineup. That said, there have been rumblings about the Leafs making a move.
According to The Fourth Period, Leafs general manager John Chayka is, in fact, looking around the league right now, although he's not rushing a move. Instead, he is simply looking to see what is on the market.
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On Insider Trading, Chris Johnston revealed that the Leafs won't make a concrete move until they know how long Tanev will be out for.
While there is some optimism around the team, it is important to remember that Tanev only played 11 games last season and is injury-prone.
Certainly, there's concern given what Tanev means to the team, what he's been through and the way he left that game, but I would caution anyone against jumping to too many conclusions at this point. The Leafs remain on the road, and have been so since Tanev suffered of that injury on Saturday in Denver, and they just feel they need a little bit more time here to do due diligence, to run some more tests and get a feel for exactly what's going on with Chris Tanev.
Tanev is in the third year of a six-year contract worth a total of $27 million, which is a hefty price to pay for a defenseman who misses a lot of games.
Who are the Maple Leafs targeting?
It has been said that the Maple Leafs are interested in Simon Edvinsson and Alexander Nikishin. However, both of those players are going to be difficult to trade for.
Furthermore, those are big swings to replace Chris Tanev, who may not be tradeable himself in his current state. Not to mention, Tanev is a shutdown defender and is valuable as a shot-stopper.
Chayka has some big decisions to make going forward, and he is not in an enviable position right now.
However, Leafs fans have big expectations, and they are going to be counting on him to fix this team.
Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs should be seeking trades?
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