Insider: Maple Leafs "Most Definitely Interested" in Blues' Brayden Schenn

There is plenty of talk around what the Toronto Maple Leafs will do at this trade deadline, most of it focused on adding an impact center of some kind, ideally a third-line center.

The Leafs "are prepared to do something, there's no doubt about that, they do see the opportunity to win," said insider Darren Dreger on TSN's Insider Trading. And if you could draw up a perfect fit for the Buds, it just might veteran center Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues. The 33-year-old still has three years remaining on a somewhat reasonable $6.5M cap hit.

(GM) Brad Treliving is most definitely interested in the captain of the Blues... The Leafs do have the assets. The prospect pool is there, and teams like the St. Louis Blues are paying attention. We look at Brayden Schenn being a great fit in Toronto, because of the player and because of the winning pedigree.

Indeed, Schenn was a key contributor to the Blues' 2019 run to the Stanley Cup—under current Leafs' head coach Craig Berube. Schenn handed out a whopping 83 hits in 26 playoff games that season while adding 12 points. Overall, his playoff output on the scoresheet isn't overwhelming, with 11 goals and 40 points in 75 career games. But his physicality certainly is, as he's registered 241 hits in those 75 postseason outings.

What might Treliving have to give up to obtain one of the top names on the trade market? Dreger lists some key assets in the Toronto system as possibilities that could enter the discussions.

"You look at the prospect pool in Toronto and you see Fraser Minten, or Easton Cowen, you've got Nikita Grebenkin, you've got Ben Danford coming (last year's first-rounder), assets that Treliving can use."

Fellow insider Elliotte Friedman also mentioned Toronto as one of two teams that was trying to unite both Schenn brothers (Luke is with the Nashville Predators) with separate trades.

Schenn, after three straight 20-goal seasons (and eight overall), has 12 goals this year with 33 points in 58 games, along with 147 hits. He'd be a perfect 3C for the Leafs.