Failed trade for the Maple Leafs when they needed it the most!

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost out to the Vancouver Canucks.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman the Maple Leafs were said to be interested in acquiring defenseman Ethan Bear from the Carolina Hurricanes last week.

“I think (the Maple Leafs) did take a look at it. I think the issue was, where Vancouver was willing to go that Toronto wasn’t, was the extra draft pick,” Friedman said Saturday during the 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

“With all the salary that the Leafs and the Canucks would have to take (in the trade), Toronto didn’t want to (add the extra pick) because one of the reasons is, if they trade one, they could have as few as three this year.”

Instead, the Canucks pulled the trigger and landed the young blue liner.

It is believed that Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas did not want to part with a draft pick to get Bear. In the end, the Canucks also landed forward Lane Pederson in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick. Carolina retained 40 per cent of Bear’s one-year, $2.2-million contract, but the Canucks still took on a $1.8-million cap hit.

While this trade did not come through for the Maple Leafs, this has sent a clear message across the league. Toronto is looking around for help on the back end in the trade market.

There is a growing sense that Dubas is looking at specific options on the trade market to bolster his blue line, especially now that his team is struggling and experiencing a losing streak.

But let’s not push the panic button in Toronto. The trade for Bear didn’t work out, but that does not mean Dubas needs to rush into making another move right away.