Leafs linked to Canucks, Red Wings and Devils in trade talks

With massive contract extensions for superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on the horizon for the Toronto Maple Leafs, TSN analyst Craig Button believes that NOW is the time for Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas to make a big splash on the trade market. 

With roughly $6 million in cap space to spend, Dubas has the luxury of adding one or even two impactful players in advance of this year’s deadline. So… who should he be looking at? Well, according to Button there are three defensemen in particular whom Dubas should be kicking tires on: Alex Edler of the Vancouver Canucks, Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings and Ben Lovejoy of the New Jersey Devils.

Check it out:

You can look at pending unrestricted free agent Alex Edler of the Vancouver Canucks - a big shot on the power play and plays the most significant minutes for any Vancouver defenceman. No one knows Detroit blueliner Niklas Kronwall better than former Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock. Both players have big playoff experience and Kronwall has a Stanley Cup on his resume.

Another player who might not come at a higher price is New Jersey's , who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. He's that big, right-shot defenceman who can add some key minutes to the blue line. 

Edler might make sense, as he’s capable of logging big minutes, chipping in offensively and adding some physically. Kronwall though? He’s more or less done… ask any Red Wings fan when the last time he had a positive impact on the ice and they’ll have to get in a time machine. As for Lovejoy, he’s little more than depth, third pairing defenseman. Sure he’ll help, but is he really the big money spending move that the Leafs need to put them over the top?