Where the American gold medallist doesn\u2019t only wish to remain in the Canadian city that drafted him but welcomes another U.S. star north of the border. And the two of them try to win a Stanley Cup on foreign soil.<\/p>\n
For years, the Maple Leafs have whispered about the possibility of a \u201cKawhi move,\u201d the one where they rattle the league and truly push all-in, spending off the current roster and not simply shedding first-round picks.<\/p>\n
Zach Werenski<\/a> is available, less than three weeks after being awarded the Norris Trophy as hockey\u2019s best defenceman.<\/p>\n He\u2019s in his prime (age 28). He\u2019s hot off back-to-back 20-goal, 80-point, 26-plus-minutes-per-night campaigns. And, reportedly, he is open to the idea of waiving his no-movement clause to one Canadian team.<\/p>\n The same one captained by a friend and fellow Olympic champion, Auston Matthews, with whom Werenski shares an agent (Judd Moldaver) and a contract expiration date (July 1, 2028).<\/p>\n John Chayka, you may never have a shot at trading for a difference-maker of this calibre again.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bringing Werenski to Toronto \u2014 less than a four-hour drive from his native Grosse Point, Michigan \u2014 won\u2019t be easy or cheap.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s worth the Leafs\u2019 best shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n And, as Chayka teased after Saturday\u2019s draft, he is entertaining some \u201cbigger swings\u201d in the market. (The Leafs are also believed to have varying degrees of interest in pending UFAs Sergei Bobrovsky, Mason Marchment, and Patrick Kane, as well as a Vincent Trocheck trade.)<\/p>\n Where there\u2019s smoke, there\u2019s fire.\u00a0<\/p>\n And the Werenski situation is turning into a five-alarm blaze in Columbus.\u00a0<\/p>\n This could be Quinn Hughes and Brady Tkachuk all over again.<\/p>\n Sportsnet\u2019s Nick Kypreos added Werenski to\u00a0his trade board<\/a>\u00a0Friday, linking the Leafs as a potential partner: \u201cWould a deal around Matthew Knies and Colorado’s 2027 first-round pick be a good place to start? Does prospect defenceman Ben Danford excite anyone after his performance in the Calder Cup playoffs? Would the Jackets want to explore having Rielly in this package?\u201d<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s Pierre LeBrun\u00a0added Saturday<\/a>\u00a0that Toronto is the only Canadian destination in a competitive mix for a left-shot defenceman. Also mentioned: Tampa Bay, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Jose, and Carolina. (But the Hurricanes are now trying their luck with two years of pending UFA John Carlson instead.)<\/p>\n Sharpen your pencils, gentlemen.<\/p>\n Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell is set to meet with his MVP next week, but the executive\u2019s understanding is that neither Werenski nor star winger Kirill Marchenko (RFA 2027) are interested in re-signing long-term in Ohio.<\/p>\n Two playoff runs with Werenski, of course, are worth more on the trade market than one. Waddell is taking calls, trying to get ahead of this mess.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve told everybody we\u2019re dealing with that we\u2019re not talking about draft picks at this point,\u201d Waddell told reporters. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to trade any players off our team, we need players.<\/p>\n \u201cTo trade any player for a first-round pick, that may sound good. But it doesn\u2019t do us any good for the next three years. I don\u2019t think the draft, in this case, has any impact on what we do with (Werenski).\u201d<\/p>\n Knies is\u00a0a player. He can\u2019t block a trade. He\u2019s in his prime and comes with a cost certainty Waddell would like (five years at a reasonable $7.75 million). He feels like the best legitimate starting point. (Yes, we just argued for\u00a0Toronto to be careful trading him<\/a>, but we\u2019re doing it in a blink for the Norris winner.)<\/p>\n