John Chayka isn't done reshaping the Maple Leafs, and the next target looks like a defenceman, with Alexander Nikishin's name already floating.
The Leafs GM made it clear the door is open. He said the team is always looking to improve, including on defence, even as he wants the current group to have time to show what it can do.
He's liked what one line has produced. "I'll take the chances that line's getting and the overall play they've created. If we can get that for a sustained period of time, we'd be thrilled."
Chris Johnston has said Chayka isn't done dealing, and the chatter keeps circling the same need.
Two unsigned defencemen stand out. Simon Edvinsson is in a term standoff in Detroit, and Nikishin was rumoured to be asking for around five years at $9 million.
Nikishin fits a pattern too. Chayka already brought in Sergei Bobrovsky and Kirill Marchenko, and that Russian connection hasn't gone unnoticed.
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An aging Maple Leafs blue line makes the next move a defenceman
Look at the back end and the urgency jumps out. Chris Tanev is 36 and Oliver Ekman-Larsson is 35.
Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe and Troy Stecher are all 32. Darren Raddysh is the youngest of the group at 30.
There may be room to work with. Max Domi and Dakota Joshua were placed on LTIR, a move the show said opened up seven million dollars in space.
Toronto also has a first-round pick it could dangle, according to the same discussion.
Chayka should go get a young defenceman now. A blue line this old won't hold up over a full season, and waiting for the current group to prove itself is a luxury Toronto doesn't have.
Running this back end all season is like driving cross-country on four spare tires. You'll get somewhere, just not comfortably.
Bold asks are nothing new for this regime. Frank Seravalli reported Toronto asked San Jose for all of its first-round picks in a Matthew Knies deal.
Ottawa visits tonight. The Leafs are 1-1-0, with a 2-1 win over the Islanders after the opening loss to Montreal.
Chayka wants patience from his group. His phone suggests he isn't practising much of it himself.
Should John Chayka trade for Alexander Nikishin?
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