Two reports point to huge player for player deal between Leafs & Pens.

Big time rumors of trade between Leafs and Penguins.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Two reports point to huge player for player deal between Leafs & Pens.
NHL

There's no longer any doubt that the Pittsburgh Penguins are attempting to make a trade that involves veteran defenseman Ian Cole, but for the first time we have some idea of where he may be going and what he may be going for. 

On Tuesday the man who originally broke the story regarding the Cole trade, James Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, revealed that three teams were considered the favorites to land the former first round pick.

From Mackey:

It won’t be a Metropolitan Division team. The primary suitors at this point appear to be Las Vegas, Colorado and Toronto.

Interestingly, prior to Mackey revealing the three favorites, Matt Larkin of The Hockey News speculated on the possibility of a trade involving the Maple Leafs and the Penguins, specifically a player for player deal. Larkin wondered out loud if the Penguins would trade Cole to the Maple Leafs in exchange for veteran center Tyler Bozak, a move that would seemingly be a fit for both sides. 

It's no secret that the Maple Leafs have been looking for help on the blue line, meanwhile the Penguins have been actively searching for another center to bolster their line up down the middle. 

Mackey himself hinted at the fact that the Penguins are interested in a center in his report, although admittedly he did so while stating clearly that he did not know who the target for the Penguins was. He does however believe that we will have the answer sooner rather than later. Again from Mackey:

It’s unclear the player the Penguins may be targeting in those talks, and whether or not he plays center.

But the Penguins and Cole’s agent, Kevin Magnusson, are working together on this deal, so you can expect a resolution in fairly short order.

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