Elliotte Friedman speculates Toronto Maple Leafs' "number one priority" in trade market, and it's not finding a better D partner for Morgan Rielly

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is expected to get busy as the trade deadline approaches. As per NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, currently the team's primary positional need is to add a defensive center.

Earlier in the day, it was The Athletic's Jonas Seigel, who stated that the Leafs were in the market for a defensive center. Now Friedman has also openly discussed the possibility of it happening. Appearing on "The Fan Hockey Show," Friedman stated that even though there has been talk of getting Morgan Rielly a suitable partner on the blue line, Toronto's first priority is to get a defensive center.

“I think they’ve generally been ok with their D, they did a lot of their work in the offseason. I think now there’s a question if they need to go find someone to play with Morgan Rielly. Is there a stylistic fit out there they like? But, it’s not their number one priority, I don’t believe. I believe their number one thing all season has been – let’s find another centre.”

He also added that the team is heavily confident of a long-term signing. If a single-season rental is available to them, they might be willing to tread that path but for now the team is willing to trade assets with any team to fix their defensive center position.

“Now, I think their preference is term. That’s one thing I’ve heard out there, is that their preference is term. I mean, if there’s a rental they really like, I’m sure they’ll pivot to that too. But, one of the things I’ve heard, is that if they’re going to spend assets on a centre, they would prefer it to be someone with term.”

Currently, veteran John Tavares is the primary center for the Leafs. The 34-year-old has defied all expectations and turned in a one-point-per-game effort so far this season. He has been ably backed up by David Kampf, who is the second center.

Scott Laughton fits the bill for the Maple Leafs

Philadelphia Flyers' Scott Laughton looks to be the obvious choice for the Leafs. Currently, Laughton is playing out of his natural center position at the Flyers. He has a strong defensive mindset and is known to do well under pressure, something that coach Craig Berube and the Leafs could utilize in the playoffs.

Laughton has a $3 million annual average contract with the Flyers. That would be affordable for the Leafs, who have $600,000 in cap space left and will be required to make one or two extra moves. This could mean a direct swap with the Flyers for Kampf, who has a $2.4 million space attached to it. Or they could waive off players like Ryan Reaves to free up space.