Trevling would never say he wants Risto publicly That's tampering. Leafs should stay away from Risto and his contract.

I completely agree, if he was 50% retained with a sweetner i might consider it but i see 0 reason to use assets on a guy who’s universally known as a horrendous contract

But PHI doesnt need to dump him, so they wont be adding a sweetener

Risto is definitely not the answer

Ofc but i feel it may be a case of 2 birds one stone, get Risto who’s been playing well for cheap then still add Tanev with remaining assets, It’s a very flawed concept but it kinda makes sense, he does add physicality & his defensive metrics haven’t been abysmal

Leafs would have to get him half retained and pay next to nothing for it to make sense

Idk why the leafs are so big on moves this season, they aren't winning a cup. Adding Tanev and RR won't put them over the top. They need to wait and see what Willie wants at the end of the season, then make a decision on him. When JT contract is up is when they can make a real add in the UFA market costing zero assets.

If they add some big pieces on D, are we sure they can’t compete?

Tanev is the guy i’d go after, he is a Toronto born dude who knows Treliving very well (think Gio), he is still a great D-man & Top PK plus perfect for the playoffs