On the eve of trade deadline, there’s growing speculation over what the Toronto Maple Leafs will do to address their porous defense corps. That need became more pressing following Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, in which the Canes iced 42-year-old emergency backup David Ayres for the final half of the game.
On Thursday, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported the Leafs could shop Tyson Barrie, either for another defenseman or for assets that could be flipped to another team for a blueliner. An unrestricted free agent this summer, the 28-year-old Barrie hasn’t panned out as hoped since being acquired last summer from the Colorado Avalanche.