Since taking over as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, John Chayka has shown a willingness to swing for the fences with shrewd moves in both free agency and the trade market.
Notable acquisitions include the trade for Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with Sergei Bobrovsky, Nick Paul, and Darren Raddysh. Not to mention, he completely overhauled the club’s coaching staff and front office.
Now, the Maple Leafs are being linked to another notable name they could show interest in via trade.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Are Being Linked To Defenseman Roman Josi
According to a report from NHL Insider Jeff Marek over the summer, the Maple Leafs need to consider the possibility of bringing aboard Nashville Predators defenseman and captain Roman Josi, a former Norris Trophy winner who could soon grow weary of Nashville’s slow rebuilding process.
“If you’re John Chayka you want to redo the blue line, and we’ve heard a lot about Nashville and how they’ve taken this roster as far as it can go,” Marek said.
“You don’t know deep of a rebuild this is going to be but if you’re Roman Josi, do you really want to hang around longer for this, or rather get into a position where you can maximize your potential.”
Now, fuel is being poured on that report by NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette, who said that he can absolutely see a pathway for Josi to end up with the Maple Leafs.
“I think there’s a real possibility he goes there. They are going to continue to make moves.”
Josi is signed for one more season beyond the current campaign with a $9,059,000 salary cap hit.
Roman Josi Is A Decorated NHL Defenseman
Josi began his career with SC Bern in Switzerland, reaching the country’s top league as a teenager and becoming a regular by 2007–08. He quickly established himself as a promising young defenseman, helping SC Bern win the Swiss championship in 2010.
Josi then joined the Predators organization, spending the 2010–11 season with the American Hockey League affiliate Milwaukee Admirals before becoming a full-time NHL player the following year. He has since established himself as one of the most accomplished defensemen in Predators history while setting numerous franchise records.
In 2020, Josi became the first Swiss-born player and first Predator to win the Norris Trophy. He later surpassed Mark Streit as the highest-scoring Swiss-born NHL player and reached 600 career points in 2023, becoming just the second active defenseman to lead his franchise in scoring.
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