Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka gave a straight-to-the-point answer Monday when asked if he's open to making another blockbuster trade.
"Yeah," Chayka replied, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox.
The Leafs acquired forward Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Matthew Knies as part of a seven-piece trade in September on the eve of the regular season.
Chayka admitted a trade for a defenseman has been "discussed much" but doesn't view that as the only way to improve Toronto's defense.
"There's no doubt we need to improve our defensive play overall to reach our ultimate goals," Chayka said. "But I don't think a transaction is necessarily always the way to improve. We've seen a lot of internal improvement already, and I think defensive play is a five-man structure unit. ... My job is always to look to improve the team if possible, and we'll continue to evaluate the market and see if there's an opportunity."
Easton Cowan, one of Toronto's top young assets, has become increasingly important by featuring on the top line while recording 12 points in 13 games.
"I don't think any player is untradeable, but he's a good player," Chayka said of Cowan. "He's everything you'd want in a Toronto Maple Leaf. He loves the Leafs. He's passionate about it. Plays a 200-foot game. Does whatever it takes. You know, in the gym, doing extra on the ice. It'd be tough to ever improve on a player like that."
The Leafs have $2.4 million in current cap space, and they already have $112 million in projected cap commitments for 2027-28, according to PuckPedia.
"Any time you're in pro sports now, it always becomes a bit of a math and finance problem, but I think we've got good flexibility," Chayka said. "Every discussion we've had, I don't think that's going to be a gating item for us, and I think we're positioned well in that way."
Toronto (7-4-2) has won four straight games.
