John Chayka has already shown he’s willing to keep turning the Maple Leafs roster over, and the search doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Toronto has rebuilt its bottom six, brought in hard-shooting defenseman Darren Raddysh and added veteran, Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Even with all that movement, reports around the league still point to the Leafs chasing a true “difference-maker.”
That was the backdrop for NHL insider David Pagnotta’s appearance with host EJ Hradek on the Toronto Sports Rush, where the conversation centered on Toronto’s hunt for another veteran forward.
Hradek brought up the Anaheim Ducks after the club matched the offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson and noted that Anaheim could be looking to move veteran wingers Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn, and Frank Vatrano. Kreider and Killorn each have one year left on their current deals, while Killorn has two.
From there, the focus shifted to whether Toronto would get involved. Hradek asked Pagnotta if the Maple Leafs might jump into talks for those players, and Pagnotta said the team is indeed looking for a top-six forward, either at center or on the wing. He also said Toronto has enough flexibility to shift pieces already on the roster if needed.
Pagnotta said the Leafs have more forwards than they need right now, but made it clear the work is not finished. “They're still juggling.
They're still looking and seeing what they can do.” He also pointed out that NHL teams are allowed to go 10% over the salary cap during the offseason, which gives Toronto some room to keep exploring options.
Even so, Pagnotta didn’t sound convinced the Ducks’ veterans are a clean fit for the Leafs unless Toronto moves money out first. He also noted that Anaheim, once on Morgan Rielly’s list of acceptable destinations, is no longer a likely trade partner now that the Ducks have committed to their young core.
What is clear, though, is that Toronto is still active. Pagnotta said the Leafs will keep working the market and described them as one of the busiest teams over the last three weeks.
The discussion then turned to the free-agent market, with Hradek asking, “Is there any chance Patrick Kane shows up as a Leaf?” Kane has been linked to Toronto because of his connections to Gavin McKenna and Auston Matthews, though Hradek also mentioned Chicago and Buffalo as possible landing spots.
Pagnotta didn’t shut the door on Toronto. “I think there (have) been some conversations with Toronto, but I think very loose,” he said.
He added that the Leafs could look at Kane on a low-risk, incentive-laden deal if that’s something Kane would accept. Still, he stressed that the club has work to do before the season begins: “Toronto still has to maneuver the market in terms of being cap compliant for the start of the season.”
For now, the message is the same one Toronto has been sending throughout this stretch: the roster is not done, and Chayka is keeping every lane open.
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