As the 2023-24 NHL season got underway, the Toronto Maple Leafs were one of the favorites to lift the Stanley Cup at the end of the season. Top rivals like the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning appeared to be losing ground in the race for the vaunted trophy, while the Maple Leafs had players like Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner in the prime of their careers.

While some of those estimates made sense, there were questions about the Maple Leafs' strength on the blue line this season, and those questions have grown in importance as the season has progressed. The Maple Leafs are in 4th place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, and their defense crew has been vulnerable to this point in the year.

When the Calgary Flames traded left-shot defenseman Nikita Zadorov last week to the Vancouver Canucks, many wondered why the Maple Leafs weren't at the top of the list. Instead, Toronto general manager Brad Treliving was not interested in overpaying for the blue liner, according to NHL insider Darren Dreger.

The Maple Leafs have even greater needs after goaltender Joseph Woll went down Thursday night in Toronto's 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. Woll had to come out of the game with a lower-body injury — he couldn't put weight on his leg — and he is likely to be out for several games.

As a result of that injury, the Maple Leafs are likely to need help in goal in addition to the blue line. Dreger says Treliving has been “grinding away” when it comes to making a trade for a right-shot defenseman, and he may be forced to pay a higher price than he originally intended.