To some extent this isn’t news so much as something we should have been resigned to by now. With the Pietrangelo concept looking impossible to pull off, and T.J. Brodie topping the list of potential free agents, finding a good fit for the Maple Leafs top four will need a trade.

We’ve considered this for years, so we know the deal. You have to offer something good to get someone good. And that might mean a top prospect or next year’s first-round draft pick. It’s hard to imagine that for a good return only Nick Robertson, Rasmus Sandin and Rodion Amirov are not on the table.

We’ll see where this goes, as the saying goes.

We'll See Where This Goes