John Chayka is ready to make a major trade splash, according to NHL insider David Pagnotta

The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't finished shopping, and Morgan Rielly's search for a reliable partner sits at the center of it.

David Pagnotta reported this morning that Toronto is chasing a top-four defenseman. He added that the Leafs have gotten "a little bit more aggressive" on that hunt recently.

It lines up with earlier chatter from Darren Dreger and Chris Johnston that Toronto wasn't done dealing after landing Kirill Marchenko from Columbus.

With three players on LTIR, the Leafs have $7M in cap room to play with. That money only exists as long as those players stay put, which turns every move into a calculated gamble.

The urgency showed up last night, even in a win. Toronto edged the Islanders 2-1 at home, with Anthony Stolarz turning aside 26 of 27 shots.

The blue line in front of him still looks unfinished. Darren Raddysh logged 20:36 and fired four shots, yet he's already gone minus-3 through two games.

That's an ugly start for a defenseman carrying an $8,500,000 cap hit. Rielly, at $7,500,000, has two assists so far but sits at minus-1.

Roman Josi and Dougie Hamilton both come with a cap problem

Roman Josi is the first name floated out of Nashville. His $9,059,000 cap hit lands $2,059,000 above the room Toronto currently has.

So salary would have to go back the other way. And Barry Trotz would hold every bit of leverage in that conversation.

Here's a fun wrinkle. The Predators visit Toronto on Tuesday, October 6, which gives the Leafs a front-row look at the veteran from their own bench.

Dougie Hamilton is the other option on the table. The New Jersey defenseman carries a $9,000,000 cap hit, leaving Toronto $2,000,000 short.

Hamilton can move the puck and quarterback a second power-play unit, giving the Leafs someone to rotate with Rielly when things get tight.

But Toronto doesn't need another puck mover. Adding one to a blue line already paying Raddysh and Rielly a combined $16,000,000 is the wrong fix.

It's like buying a faster car when the brakes are what keep failing. The Leafs need a defenseman who ends possessions in his own zone and gets the puck out cleanly.

So why not just split Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev? Because that pairing is the one thing on this back end that's working, with both sitting at even through two games.

Tanev is 36, and he still led all Toronto defensemen at 20:39 last night. Blowing that pair up to patch another one just moves the leak somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Auston Matthews is still looking for his first point, sitting at minus-2. The Marchenko deal was built to get the captain going, and he hasn't yet.

Ottawa visits Saturday night. Whatever the front office decides, it's betting that LTIR room holds long enough to matter.

Source: Hockey Patrol

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