NHL Rumors: The Toronto Maple Leafs Would Move Their First But Maybe Not For A Rental

Sportsnet 590 The FAN: Elliotte Friedman last week on the Kyper & Bourne Show on how aggressive the Toronto Maple Leafs will be at the deadline.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Nick Kypreos: “Do you expect the Leafs to be very aggressive here, right?”

Friedman: “I do.”

Kypreos: “There’s no punting it down to next year. This is a team that has star players in their prime. They got to do something here.”

Friedman: “You know, I have to say, Nick, I don’t know if I would go on all-in this year with this team. I don’t but I’m not making those distinctions. The Maple Leafs are making those decisions.

And look, I think they’ve waived the possibility of a first for (Chris) Tanev. They haven’t gotten there yet. I, I’m pretty sure that I, look, I think they had a first on the table when it was both (Nikita) Zadorov and Tanev.

I think they are willing to trade their first rather than one of their top prospects, Nick, and that’s what I would do too.

But I think they’d prefer if their first one for more than a rental. I think they want to know that they can keep the player longer term, either they get a player who has term or someone like Tanev who they’re very comfortable that they could extend.

Although I think Ottawa has made it, I think everybody kind of sees Ottawa in the offseason is a team that’s willing to throw quite a bit at Tanev. So there’s that challenge now in the middle of all of this.

But I really do think Nick, that Toronto would prefer if they were using their first-rounder, that it’s something that they would be able to hold a bit longer than just a rental. We’ll see where it goes. But that’s what I think their preference is.