- Leafs GM John Chayka says he is open to another blockbuster trade
- A defenseman has been “discussed much,” but Chayka sees internal improvement too
- Read below for his comments on Easton Cowan, the cap and Ben Danford
John Chayka isn’t done making deals in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs GM was asked Monday in Calgary if he is open to another blockbuster trade, like the one that sent Matthew Knies to Columbus. His answer was one word: “Yeah.”
Toronto landed Kirill Marchenko in that seven-piece September deal with the Blue Jackets. Chayka has made nine trades since taking the job and added 11 new players, and the Leafs are 7-4-2 with four straight wins.
Chayka talked about adding a defenseman by trade.
“It’s been discussed much,” he said. “There’s no doubt we need to improve our defensive play overall to reach our ultimate goals. But I don’t think a transaction is necessarily always the way to improve. We’ve seen a lot of internal improvement already, and I think defensive play is a five-man structure unit.”
He added that his job is to keep looking at ways to make the team better, and the Leafs will keep evaluating the market.
Cap space is not a roadblock. Toronto has about $2.4 million available right now, and Chayka was asked if the cap or tagging issues could get in the way of a deal.
“Every discussion we’ve had, I don’t think that’s going to be a gating item for us,” Chayka said. “I think we’re positioned well in that way.”
Easton Cowan came up next. The winger has 12 points in 13 games while playing on the top line, so Chayka was asked if Cowan is untouchable.
“I don’t think any player is untradeable, but he’s a good player,” Chayka said. “He’s everything you’d want in a Toronto Maple Leaf. It’d be tough to ever improve on a player like that.”
Here is what Jack Roslovic said about Cowan over the weekend:
Chayka also talked about top prospect Ben Danford, who is playing big minutes with the Marlies. He said he loves that Danford is in the AHL and wants him called up only when he is ready to help win in the NHL.
Sergei Bobrovsky is in the starter’s net in Calgary after a 3-3-2 start with a .895 save percentage. Chayka called him a historically slow starter.
A defenseman is the obvious target, but Cowan’s name coming up shows how wide Chayka is willing to look.
