Insider Links Blues & Maple Leafs to Huge Trade

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be adding before the March 3 NHL trade deadline. General manager Kyle Dubas is expected to be one of the more active executives this season and the Leafs will be in the market for a top-nine forward. Recently, hockey insider Pierre LeBrun linked Toronto to St Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly.

LeBrun touched on ROR heading to the Leafs in his recent piece via The Athletic:

It’s a fact that Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas isn’t keen on trading for rentals, especially if it means giving up a first-round pick. But come on, the time is now. The playoff-savvy Lightning likely await again in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, O’Reilly has struggled this season, and now he’s injured, but he’ll be back before the deadline. And adding a veteran top-six forward with his Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe pedigree would be an ingredient the Leafs could benefit from as they try to shed their playoff demons. Worth noting that he also has the acuity to play wing if need be.

O'Reilly is nursing a broken foot at the moment, however is expected back in the later parts of February. He started very slow this season, but was finding his game before he got hurt. So far in 37 games O'Reilly has recorded 16 points. He would give the Leafs another center and someone who can shut down big lines of other teams. Toronto appears to be headed for a first-round playoff matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning so they'll likely try and do whatever they can to match themselves up accordingly.

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