Rumor: Toronto now has 3 of it's players on the trading block.

Leafs have 3 players currently on the trading block.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Rumor: Toronto now has 3 of it's players on the trading block.
Keystone Press

Today marks the final day of the National Hockey League's 2018 preseason and with the start of the 2018 - 2019 National Hockey League regular season drawing nearer and nearer teams around the league are scrambling as they make their final preparations. As a result we've heard reports over the past several hours that a number of NHL franchises have begun to put out feelers for any last minute trades that could be made prior to the season officially getting underway. 

Late last night Tampa Bay Lightning insider Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times revealed that the Lightning had put out feelers on both defensemen Braydon Coburn and Slater Koekkoek, hoping to move one of the two men off their roster prior to the regular season. That report was corroborated by The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta who was quick to add that the Lightning are not the only team currently looking to make this type of last minute roster move before the season kicks off.

According to Pagnotta the Toronto Maple Leafs have also put a couple of feelers of their own out there as the season draws near, and in the case of the Maple Leafs they may be seeking to move as many as three players. Pagnotta specifically identified 25 year old forward Joshua Leivo, 25 year old goaltender Garret Sparks and 24 year old defenseman Connor Carrick as the three players that the Leafs are currently dangling in trade talks, although he did not provide any indication regarding whether or not the Leafs were receiving any interest on any of those fronts. 

Carrick is the least surprising name to see on this lait as we have been hearing his name whispered about in trade rumors for the better part of a week now, and it sounds like if the Leafs get any kind of interest on that front they will look to quickly deal Carrick. The young defenseman was once viewed as part of the Leafs' future on the blue line when he was acquired in a trade with the Capitals, but with players like Justin Holl leap frogging him on the depth chart he has made himself somewhat of an expendable commodity for the Maple Leafs.-

Sparks and Leivo are somewhat newer revelations on the part of Pagnotta. Leivo's name has come up in trade talks at different times over the past two seasons, largely due to the fact that many feel he is a serviceable forward that simply can't find a consistent roster spot on the Maple Leafs. Toronto's depth at the forward position is arguably the organizations greatest strength at the moment and with such a severe log jam at that position Leivo has been unable to find regular playing time on the Leafs roster. For this reason he has been a constant source of trade speculation and it looks like the Leafs may finally look to find him a home where hopefully he will get to play in more than 29 games over the course of 2 full NHL seasons. 

Pagnotta's revelation that the Maple Leafs have put Sparks on the trading block would appear to indicate that the organization feels comfortable relying on Curtis McElhinney to be their back up for the upcoming season. That would likely result in Calvin Pickard slotting in as the third option, a spot that will likely see him spending the majority of his time with the Toronto Marlies this season. 

No word yet on what kind of return the Leafs are seeking at this time.

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