Trade brewing between Leafs and Isles?

For weeks now, chatter has indicated that the Toronto Maple Leafs have talked to other teams about some of their defensemen. GM Kyle Dubas has reportedly been dangling blue liner Travis Dermott on the trade market and now the New York Islanders could be close to pulling the trigger.

GM Lou Lamoriello was in Toronto when the Leafs drafted Dermott and we know he loves to have his players back. According to Arthur Staples of The Athletic, “Dermott is a serviceable left-handed defenseman who would be cheap enough to fit under the cap right now.”

We do not know what the Maple Leafs’ asking price is at the moment for a return for Dermott. The blue liner has two years left on his contract with a $1.5-million cap hit. Dermott has tallied just an assist in 13 games this season, and is showing a +1 rating.

The Maple Leafs had potentially set their minds on losing Dermott at the Seattle Kraken expansion draft, as he was left unprotected. The Kraken opted to take forward Jared McCann from Toronto.

Dermott appears to be the best trade bait at the moment in Toronto and we can see why the Islanders are setting their sights on him. Lamoriello could be on the move sooner or could wait to see the price drop on Dermott.

We all know how much Lou loves to brew a good trade.