The Maple Leafs are still working the phones, and Simon Edvinsson keeps surfacing as one of the names tied to Toronto.
Under first-year GM Johb Chayka, the Leafs have stayed active on the trade front, and the Edvinsson chatter makes sense on paper. He would bring something Toronto does not really have on the blue line right now: youth. He would also be the youngest defenceman on the roster by a wide margin, and very likely the best one too.
That kind of player is not cheap.
Edvinsson is a 23-year-old defenceman with top-four upside, and he is just getting into his prime. He is also 6-foot-6 and can play on both sides of the puck.
For the Red Wings, that makes him a valuable piece. For the Maple Leafs, it means the price to pry him loose would be steep.
One possible framework would have Toronto sending Easton Cowan as the centerpiece, along with the 2027 first-round pick the Leafs received from the Colorado Avalanche in the Nicolas Roy deal.
There are other ways to build the package, but they still come with real pain. Another idea would center on Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the 2027 first-round pick, and either Tinus Luc Koblar or Ben Danford.
If Toronto had its way, Cowan would stay put. He has played well this season, and Ben Danford also looks like someone the Leafs would want to keep in the future core. That would make Koblar the likeliest prospect to move if Toronto had to choose one.
The Leafs would also need to send a current roster defender with a meaningful cap hit. That is where Ekman-Larsson comes in. Even with the strong play he has shown over the last two seasons, he looks like the most realistic candidate to be included.
And that would not be enough on its own. Toronto would likely have to add more future value, which is where the 2027 first-round pick fits in. The 2028 second-round pick could also be part of the sweetener.
Any deal would not stop at the trade itself. Chayka and the Leafs would also need to lock Edvinsson into an extension.
Reports have said he turned down a contract with an AAV of $8.5 million and is looking for something in the $10 million range. On a max-term deal, that would land around $70 million.
For now, it is still unclear whether Toronto and Detroit are actually talking. But reports circulating online say the Maple Leafs are among the teams making inquiries.
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