Rumor: Leafs to trade young forward for rugged puck-moving D-man

This is no secret to the Toronto Maple Leafs fans; their club is looking to to improve its blue line and has been hunting down a top-pairing defenseman on the trade market since early in the summer. 

Now, according to the Fourth Period, the Leafs could use young forward Josh Leivo as trade bait, since Toronto has limited space on their roster with many free agents and extensions to consider this upcoming summer. 

The Fourth Period suggests that the Leafs package Leivo and other assets to land a rugged defenseman and a puck-mover. According to reports, the Leafs were close to trading for Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie this offseason and might consider re-opening the talks again. 

The Maple Leafs have also been tied to the Anaheim Ducks in the past, seeing that both teams have been good trade partners and defenseman Sami Vatanen is an attractive option for Toronto. However, the return price would be higher than just Leivo... 

If the Leafs re-open trade discussions with the Avalanche on Barrie, it is important to mention that the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks were also linked to the blue liner. 

Let's see how things turn out...