Frontrunner quickly emerges in Travis Dermott’s trade

Reports have come out that the Toronto Maple Leafs have talked to other teams about some of their defensemen, per team insider James Mirtle of The Athletic. GM Kyle Dubas has reportedly been dangling blue liner Travis Dermott on the trade market, and chatter has already reached a team who could pull the trigger.

That’s because the Leafs are set on keeping veterans Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and T.J. Brodie all have full no-trade clauses. On top of that, Rielly just signed an eight-year, $60-million extension - so it’s unlikely any of them are being floated in trade talks.

That leaves Dermott, Timothy Liljegren, Justin Holl and Rasmus Sandin on the block, and Arthur Staple reports that the New York Islanders could be looking at snatching Dermott off the market.

Dermott, who is currently day-to-day after injuring his foot while blocking a shot in Tuesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, has two years left on his contract with a $1.5-million cap hit.

This would be an affordable option for the Isles, indeed. GM Lou Lamoriello was in Toronto when the Leafs drafted Dermott and we know he loves to have his players back. A return wouldn’t cost the Islanders too much, per Staples.

Dermott has tallied just an assist in 10 games this season, and is showing a +1 rating.

While Holl could also be moved by the Leafs, Staple does not point him out as a target for the Islanders. He has been a healthy scratch in back-to-back games in favor of Liljegren. The 29-year-old is five years older than Dermott and has two years remaining with a $2-million cap hit. His deal includes a 10-team no-trade list.

After all, Holl has played top-four minutes for the Leafs in each of the last two seasons. The Maple Leafs had potentially set their minds on losing Dermott at the Seattle Kraken expansion draft, as he was left unprotected while Holl was kept. However, the Kraken opted to take forward Jared McCann from Toronto.

Dermott appears to be the best trade bait at the moment in Toronto and we can see why the Islanders are setting their sights on him.

Could they be the ones pulling the trigger?