Report: Leafs aren’t done making moves, turned down trade for Pietrangelo

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas made the first big splash on the NHL’s trade market earlier this week when he acquired defenseman Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for prospects Carl Grundstrom, Sean Durzi and a first round draft pick. 

With the Muzzin acquisition the Leafs finally have some stability on their blue line, but according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Dubas may not be done tinkering with his defensive corps just yet. In his latest 31 Thoughts column, Friedman reports that Dubas and the Leafs are still surveying the market for a right-handed defenseman and he also reports that the team declined an offer from the St. Louis Blues that included captain Alex Pietrangelo.

Check it out:

Toronto will continue to survey right-handed defensive options, but are likely looking at a dollar-in, dollar-out scenario. While they do have room below the ceiling, they want to protect against potential Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews bonus money leaking into next year’s cap figure. (They need to save approximately $3.75 million.) Muzzin was attractive because a) he’s having a great season, and b) he didn’t cost anything from the NHL roster. That was not going to be the case for Brett Pesce or Alex Pietrangelo. It is believed St. Louis’s ask included William Nylander, which was rejected. GM Kyle Dubas wants to give this group a run.

Aside from Brett Peace, mentioned above, and teammate Dougie Hamilton there’s little else left for the Leafs on the trade market. Muzzin’s former teammate Alec Martinez is an option, as is Pietrangelo’s teammate Colton Parayko, but it’s likely that the Leafs would have to part with a roster player to acquire any of the above. Adam McQuaid of the New York Rangers is another option, but it’s not clear if he’d fit into the team’s top six automatically.

In any case, it’s clear that Dubas isn’t done yet. Sit tight, Leafs fans… this year’s deadline is shaping up to be the most interesting for the team in a decade.