Maple Leafs rumor involves trading 2 defensemen, landing Vincent Trocheck originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of work to do this offseason.

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The big headlines will surround the new head coach, and after that, Auston Matthews. But there’s much more to be done, particularly in goal and defense.

Multiple defensemen may have worn out their welcomes with the Leafs, and they could be trade candidates.

“Augmenting the blueline is ‘a priority’ for (GM John) Chayka, and he insinuated moves to the defensive corps are on the horizon,” NHL insider David Pagnotta wrote in a new article on Monday. “Will that result in trading Morgan Rielly, for example? He has a full no-movement clause, but the previous regime entertained that possibility this season and I expect Chayka to explore that option this off-season. Brandon Carlo could also be a trade candidate as he enters the final year of his contract.”

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Rielly has a pricy contract, and whether or not he’s traded likely depends on whether the Leafs can find a taker for some of that money. He’s not an ideal fit in Toronto at that cost, but that applies elsewhere, too.

Carlo is a different story. Entering the final year of his contract, he’s much more easily moved. It’d just be totally admitting a failure on the deal that sent Fraser Minten to the Bruins.

And while these defensemen trades aren’t necessarily connected to the other rumor floated by Pagnotta, it’s an intriguing connection — he suggests the Leafs are going after Vincent Trocheck, the all-around forward from the New York Rangers.

“Chayka cannot fish exclusively in this year’s shallow free agent pond, which is why he’s already started to explore the trade market with reports of Toronto’s interest in Vincent Trocheck popping up this week,” Pagnotta writes.

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The Maple Leafs have solid cap space this offseason, and they already know they’ll be adding the No. 1 overall pick. Beyond that, it makes sense to bring in veteran talent, and a guy like Trocheck would fit quite nicely after he wasn’t moved at the 2026 NHL trade deadline despite plenty of rumors then, too.

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