Toronto Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis and team president Brendan Shanahan may or may not be ready to "blow up" the roster, as Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun suggests, but nearly all signs are certainly pointing toward a rebuild.
Pricey talents like Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf seem destined for new NHL homes, either now or in the offseason and most other players are probably available and ultimately expendable - Simmons points to only James van Riemsdyk and Morgan Rielly as player he believes the Leafs view as "untouchable."
While they're expected by Simmons and many others to be sellers ahead of the NHL's March trade deadline, recent rumors have it that Toronto may also be buyers.
One position that has caused much consternation for Nonis, Shanahan and fans of the team, is top-line center. Tyler Bozak has held that position, thanks in large part to a history of success with the enigmatic man-child, Phil Kessel, but seems much better suited to a second-line role.
Mr. Unrealized Potential, Nazem Kadri, has taken over the top spot recently, but he's still yet to turn himself into the player the Leafs think he can become.
Could the Colorado Avalanche's Ryan O'Reilly, a strong all-around center with 399 games of NHL experience to his name and one year left on his deal, be a trade fit?
"The Avalanche don't have to trade O'Reilly, but if they are going to do it, now is the time. As he gets closer to free agency, his value drops. As it stands now, any acquiring teams get this season's stretch run plus two potential postseasons before they have to worry about O'Reilly leaving. In the name of salary structure, the Avalanche let Paul Stastny walk, and it's hard to imagine them being prepared to pay O'Reilly more than Matt Duchene when it becomes time for an extension," writes ESPN's Craig Custance, who has O'Reilly rated as his biggest and best NHL trade target.
The knock on acquiring O'Reilly is that he's somewhat similar to Bozak - a strong player with a lot of positive qualities who probably isn't what you would call "elite." It's a legitimate concern and swapping out Bozak, who is a potential trade candidate himself, for O'Reilly would seem somewhat pointless.
That being said, at least one NHL scout tells Custance that adding O'Reilly and keeping Bozak may be the best course of action for the expected-to-rebuild Leafs.
"They don't have a No. 1 center in Toronto," the scout said, per Custance. "But they could go with three No. 2s. If they had O'Reilly, they'd have three twos."
With Kadri, a player who has yet to realize the immense potential he possesses, Bozak and O'Reilly, the Leafs would suddenly be gritty, tough and strong - if not particularly skilled - nearly all the way down the center of their lineup.
