Leafs players courted Flames' Zadorov on the ice during latest matchup: report
Though it’s not all doom and gloom with the Toronto Maple Leafs these days, there’s an overarching sentiment that the team could be playing a bit better.
While Toronto’s 8-5-2 record has them sitting in a playoff spot, and they’re riding a two-game winning streak, the Leafs’ defensive issues have been prevalent all season long. Toronto’s 54 goals allowed this season rank 30th in the NHL, ahead of only the Minnesota Wild and last-place San Jose Sharks.
One player Toronto has been linked to acquiring is Calgary Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov, who reportedly requested a trade over the weekend.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Toronto players might have taken matters into their own hands when the two teams faced off on Friday.
“The word going around on Sunday night is that a Maple Leaf player said to Zadorov on the ice that ‘you’re exactly what we need,'” Friedman said on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts that dropped on Monday morning.
Zadorov has a goal and four assists for the Flames this season, while averaging 18:10 per night.
While his co-host Jeff Marek pressed Friedman to reveal the mystery player, Friedman admitted he wasn’t actually quite sure of the source of the news.
But the story seems to follow up well with Friedman’s recent reporting.
During the latest Saturday Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada, Friedman named both the Vancouver Canucks and Maple Leafs as teams who have high interest in acquiring either Zadorov or Chris Tanev, who also may be available.
“It is believed that Vancouver and Toronto are among the teams interested in Tanev and Zadorov, if not both,” reported Friedman.
Toronto hit the ice on Monday for their last practice in North America this week before they take to Sweden for a two-game set in Stockholm, where they’ll play Detroit and Minnesota this coming Friday and Sunday.