Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic and head coach Patrick Roy, despite something of a resurgence in recent days - or, perhaps, because of it - have made no secret of their desire to obtain a top-tier defenseman.
Their team, as currently constructed, is 19th in the NHL in goals against - a step up from where they were in early January - but they're still 29th in the league in shots against.
Defensive deficiencies have hampered them greatly to this point and have pushed Sakic to make young, two-way center, Ryan O'Reilly, available in trade (or to intently listen on offers, at least).
One team that could make great use of O'Reilly's talents is the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team seemingly headed in the opposite direction of the Avs - they're riding a 10-game losing streak.
The price for Leafs GM Dave Nonis will be steep though.
"The Avs and Toronto Maple Leafs have discussed O'Reilly, with Toronto center Tyler Bozak and defenseman Jake Gardiner two players Colorado covets," according to a report from The Fourth Period.
Gardiner is a former first-round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks. He's still only 24-years-old, but plays with a frustratingly consistent inconsistency.
His newly signed contract extension with a five-year term carries a very manageable $4.05 million cap hit. He's got two goals and nine assists and a minus-21 rating in 49 games this season.
Bozak is a big, right-handed center who the team inked to a five-year extension in 2013 thanks, in large part, to the chemistry he had displayed to that point with uber-talented winger, Phil Kessel.
Bozak, though he makes smart decisions and does well in a supporting role, seems miscast as the Leafs No. 1 center. His deal carries a cap hit of $4.2 million and he may be better off with a change of scenery and lessened role.
And who could slide directly into Bozak's place alongside Kessel and James Van Riemsdyk and add a hefty bit of grit and toughness at the same time?
None other than Ryan O'Reilly.
