The Maple Leafs are said to be very high on prospect Chase Reid, and chatter is building that Toronto could trade up for a second first-round pick to grab him.

That trade-up buzz is everywhere right now. It's widely circulating rather than firmly sourced, so treat it as momentum, not a done report.

The Reid interest itself is real. Nick Alberga, following The Fourth Period's reporting that Toronto likes him, checked with someone familiar and got back an elite-skating, right-shot defenseman with a Zach Werenski comp.

That archetype is gold. A mobile, right-shot blueliner is exactly what teams hunt, and exactly what Toronto has been rebuilding toward.

He's a prospect, so the scouting read is the story, not numbers. And it lines up with a Leafs blue line in transition under John Chayka.

Alberga shared the profile here.

Two firsts in play as McKenna sits at the top

Here's the backdrop that makes it spicy. It's widely reported that Toronto is expected to take Gavin McKenna, the consensus top name in the class. But will they?

The splash idea is a second first-rounder. The talk is the Leafs add another high pick to pair a McKenna selection with a swing at Reid.

The offseason makes it plausible.

The Darren Raddysh signing, the Emil Andrae addition, and Morgan Rielly's Western trade list all paint a front office in constant motion.

But weigh the cost. Toronto finished 28th and isn't deep in the kind of assets it takes to buy a second first, so a trade-up means giving real value to climb.

Here's my read: the McKenna pick looks locked, and the Reid interest is genuine.

The second-first chatter is the fun part, and it's believable for a GM this aggressive, but I'd still want it from a reporter before calling it a plan.

So Toronto could walk away from Friday with the best prospect in the draft and a bold second swing.

Whether Chayka pulls it off, or settles for one big name, is the intrigue. The interest is confirmed. The double-dip is still a maybe.

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An insider just revealed the Toronto Maple Leafs draft plans and it's much bigger than expected

Should the Leafs trade up for a second first to draft Reid?

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