Talk of Leafs' hunt for a No.1 defenceman won't go away

Pierre LeBrun

TSN Hockey Insider

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TORONTO - A well-established narrative in these parts is that at some point the Toronto Maple Leafs will upgrade their blue-line corps, an area that obviously needs help.

Whether that's before the March 1 trade deadline, sometime this summer or over the next 18 months, the theory goes the Leafs will use a piece from their very deep, organizational forwards and flip that into a defenceman.

I mean, makes sense, right? To which veteran GM Lou Lamoriello responded Monday:

"Let's put it this way: every team has assets and every team has liabilities," he said. "And [the Leafs], every day, no different than any other team, do everything you can do get better. If you have an opportunity to get better, you do. You weigh the pros and cons. If it's not going to make you any better, then you don't do it. You don't do something just for the sake of doing it. That's the only way I can answer a question like that. If there's a way of getting better, we'll get better."

You see, the old-school, longtime former New Jersey Devils architect loves answering a trade deadline question about as much as getting a root canal. Lamoriello despises rumor-based media coverage at this time of year.

So what the heck, I took my life in my hands during our chat at Air Canada Centre on Monday morning and asked him what he thought of the fact that winger James van Riemsdyk is most often mentioned in the above stated theory, having the Leafs flip a forward for a defenceman.

Well, if looks could kill ...

"I think that the media can create anything they want and they can get away with it," responded Lamoriello. "And the media are paid for opinions, we're paid to make decisions."

I have a good relationship with Lamoriello dating back many years, so his response was very much directed at the media at large, not just me. We chuckled after that last answer.

There's certainly some logic in van Riemsdyk's name being singled out, though. He's got one more season left on his deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent in July 2018. At 27, he's certainly not old but on this emerging Leafs squad chock full of young and talented forwards, he's the third-oldest among the Top-9. He's also talented, tied for second in team scoring with 38 points (16-22) in 45 games.

Which could make him attractive to another team, including his effective net presence and soft hands from in tight, but it could also make him a guy the Leafs want to re-up this summer.

Either way, van Riemsdyk has heard the buzz and grinned about it Monday.

"Yeah, it happens all the time in our business obviously, especially in a place like Toronto, where those things tend to get more page views when it's about the Maple Leafs because we have such a great following," van Riemsdyk said. "So I try not to read into it too much. I'm in a good spot right now in terms of my place and role on the team. At the end of the day I have no control over it but I love playing here, I love being here, and hopefully I'm here for a long time."

There's this, too. Look at the Edmonton Oilers' long search for a top-four defenceman that netted them Adam Larsson from the Devils last June. Not a big name, perhaps, but a steady, top-four presence on the right side nonetheless and one signed to a good, cap-friendly contract. He's played well this season in Edmonton. The price the Oilers had to pay to get him out of New Jersey? Star winger Taylor Hall.

It's a reminder of just how difficult it is to reel in young, top-four blueliners in a league where at least two-thirds of the teams still crave them. Just look at last season's blockbuster that saw the Columbus Blue Jackets deal No. 1 centre Ryan Johansen in order to get top young blue-liner Seth Jones from the Nashville Predators.

"You really don't trade for those guys, you have to draft them," said a Western Conference scout this week.

Well, true. And the Leafs will continue to try to do so.

But as for more immediate help, well, a trade is an option at some point.

The question is, when you consider the price paid by the Oilers for Larsson, would the Leafs need to pay a higher price?

"I think [William] Nylander is the player they're going to have to consider moving if they want that high-end D-man," a Western Conference team executive said last week.

The 20-year-old Nylander has hands of silk, putting up 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists) in 44 games this season. I'm fairly sure the Leafs don't want to move him because he's part of that Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner rookie crop they want to build around.

But if indeed it's the guy other teams inquire about in return for a young, top-four blue-liner, well, that certainly is going to make the Leafs brass think.

I suppose I could have asked Lamoriello that. On second thought, good thing I didn't.