The Maple Leafs are still poking around for help on the blue line, and Calgary Flames defenceman Zach Whitecloud is one name that has come up in the mix.
NHL insider David Pagnotta said Toronto has already held “exploratory” talks on Whitecloud, with the interest tracing back to the previous front office. “The previous regime had a lot of interest in Zach Whitecloud; I believe there’ve been at least exploratory inquiries; I believe they’re one of the teams that would look at him.”
Pagnotta also said Montreal had interest in the past. “Not sure what direction they go in now.
I don’t know if they’ve called now, full transparency, but I know they had interest last year.”
Whitecloud has opened the season without a point in five games for a Flames team that has struggled out of the gate. It’s his first full year in Calgary after the club brought him in in January 2026 as part of the package Vegas sent for Rasmus Andersson. Toronto, meanwhile, likes the edge he brings, with the Leafs viewing him as a player who has “some jam” to his game.
Pagnotta said the Flames began getting calls on Whitecloud right after the trade was completed. “What is your plan for this kid?”
was the kind of question rival general managers were asking. Calgary has listened to those inquiries, but nothing has been finalized.
The 29-year-old’s path to this point has been anything but ordinary. He went undrafted, then signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Golden Knights in March 2018.
A month later, he made his NHL debut against Edmonton and finished that game with a team-best plus-3 in a 4-3 loss. After a stretch starting in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, he settled in with Vegas late in 2019-20 and earned a two-year extension that March.
Whitecloud then signed a six-year, $16.5 million extension in October 2021 and later helped Vegas capture its first Stanley Cup in 2023, a five-game win over Florida. He was one of two Indigenous players in that Final.
Across his NHL career, Whitecloud has appeared in 404 regular-season games, with 23 goals and 65 assists. In 78 playoff games, he has collected five goals and 12 assists.
For Toronto, the fit makes sense on paper. John Chayka has already changed the roster this summer, and with the Leafs off to a 3-2-1 start, the search for defensive reinforcements may not be done yet, especially with Chris Tanev’s injury in the picture.
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