Report: Team of Maple Leafs scouts spotted watching two rivals teams.

There has been a considerable amount of activity from the Toronto Maple Leafs on the trade front over the past several weeks and although none of it has been officially acknowledged by the team itself there's no doubt that there are some serious irons in the fire.

The Maple Leafs remained locked in a fierce negotiation with talented young forward William Nylander and with no signs of that stalemate coming to an end anytime soon there has been speculation that the Leafs are looking for alternatives. An alternative could of course come in two forms, either the Leafs could trade Nylander, or his rights, to a rival team that is willing to commit to the kind of contract that Nylander's camp has been demanding or they could trade an asset that would give them more cap space next season, allowing them to squeeze Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares under the cap. 

There has been plenty of speculation in both regards and, although there's really no way of knowing what is currently going on in the mind of Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, there have been some hints regarding which teams the Maple Leafs may be having these discussion with. We know for a fact that Dubas himself was spotted at Madison Square Garden last week when the Rangers were facing off against the Calgary Flames, something made all the more interesting by the fact that Rangers' scouts were spotted in Toronto around the same time, and now we have two more potential candidates for a trade with the Maple Leafs.

According to a report from Colorado Avalanche insider Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, the Maple Leafs were spotted scouting the Friday night match up between the aforementioned Avalanche and bitter rivals the Ottawa Senators. This was no casual scouting mission either as two Maple Leafs' scouts were spotted in attendance together, although which of these two teams they were scouting would be anyone's guess. The Leafs are in the market for help on the blue line, this much is clear, and both of these organizations could provide that in the right deal. 

The Leafs have reportedly had strong interest in Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie in the past and perhaps there remains some interest there at this time. The Senators on the other hand have made some significant trades with the Leafs in recent memory so there's a history there and players like Cody Ceci and Thomas Chabot are the kind of young players that would fit what Toronto is looking for. 

Definitely something worth keeping an eye on.

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