Report: Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Working to Aquire a Defenseman, but Prices are Currently 'Too High'
Three of Toronto's defenseman who they began the season with in Klingberg (hip), Liljegren (ankle), and Giordano (finger) are all currently out with injuries.
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving is on the hunt for a defenseman, but it's going to come at a cost. An expensive cost.
Toronto has been dealing with numerous injuries to begin the year. Timothy Liljegren, who suffered a high-ankle sprain earlier this season, is slowly making his way back. Mark Giordano, who has a broken finger, will soon be on the same path.
John Klingberg, though, will miss the remainder of the season with a hip issue. The 33-year-old is going to have surgery at the end of December and his recovery timeline is "five to six months," Treliving said on Wednesday.
With all of the injuries, the Maple Leafs GM is weighing all of his options in terms of trade. But according to TSN's Darren Dreger during Insider Trading on Thursday, prices are steep, meaning a trade might not come right away for Toronto.
"He's working on it. He'd like to add a defenseman, preferably a right-shot guy. But the prices right now are too high," Dreger reported.
"If you look at Chris Tanev of the Calgary Flames, the Flames want to keep their powder dry here. They want to see the momentum build, if you will, in terms of the ask. Would Toronto be willing to give up a second-round draft pick for Chris Tanev? Maybe. But Toronto doesn't have a second-round draft pick. They're limited in their draft supply.
"You look at Sean Walker of the Philadelphia Flyers. Again, he's a really strong right-shot defenseman. The Flyers love him, but it's expected they could command as much as a first-round draft pick for him. And another familiar name to Toronto Maple Leafs fans, Ilya Lyubushkin of the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim doesn't want to trade him just yet, so everybody has to be patient."
The Maple Leafs have reportedly been in on Tanev since reports surfaced of Toronto wanting to acquire both him and Nikita Zadorov from Calgary. Ultimately, the Vancouver Canucks won those sweepstakes, acquiring Zadorov for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick.
In terms of the other two defensemen, Walker has three goals and eight assists in 26 games with the Flyers. The 29-year-old leads all of Philadelphia's defensemen who've played more than 15 games with a 57.57 xGF% at five-on-five.
Lyubushkin, through 26 games with Anaheim, is fifth among their defensemen with a 42.34 xGF% at five-on-five.
Later on TSN's Insider Trading segment, the insiders discussed Ethan Bear. He's an unrestricted free agent who's reportedly "getting very close" to a return after having shoulder surgery after getting injured at the World Championships earlier this year.
"The Leafs have shown interest there," The Athletic and TSN insider Chris Johnston reported Thursday.
The 26-year-old right-shot defenseman has played 251 games in the NHL, spending three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers before going to the Carolina Hurricanes and then the Vancouver Canucks.
"He's going to allow teams on Monday of next week to come to Kelowna if anyone wants to get a look at him on the ice, see him go through his paces, after having offseason shoulder surgery," Johnston added.
"The Vancouver Canucks have interest bringing him back... The team to watch could be the Washington Capitals. They seem to be keenly interested. New Jersey and Pittsburgh as well. But there's certainly no shortage of interest in Bear, who can be signed just for the money it costs to pay him."
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