TWO MORE DAYS, CHYCHRUN WATCH, FLAMES TALK, CANES AND MORE

TORONTO, ON — The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off three moves on Tuesday further deepening their blueline and creating salary cap space in the process.

The Leafs moved out Pierre Engvall, who was an expected casualty of the team’s newfound forward depth, and Rasmus Sandin – a bit surprising, to be frank – and brought in offensive-minded depth defenceman and all-around good guy Erik Gustafsson, familiar face Luke Schenn and a 2023 first-round draft pick as the primary pieces.

But don’t be surprised if Kyle Dubas gets back to work on Wednesday.

The Leafs have nine (!!) defencemen on their NHL roster, plus veteran Jordie Benn, who was assigned to the AHL, and Victor Mete, who is on LTIR. Justin Holl’s name has come up in trade chatter this week and he may get the Engvall treatment when all is said and done.

Holl, 31, has a $2 million salary cap hit and a 10-team no-trade list. Moving him out would free up extra cap wiggle room as Dubas keeps a close eye on the trade market.

Internally, Dubas has been very critical of both Engvall and Holl on an almost-gamely basis. Seeing one guy dealt isn’t surprising, and seeing both move wouldn’t be shocking, either (and now I’ll be reassigned).

The addition of a first-round pick also gives Dubas and Co. options. Should the Leafs choose to move it – the pick is Boston’s, so expect it to fall in the late first-round – it would likely be for a significant piece. Do they attempt to add another middle-six winger or is it overkill?

Toronto’s loading up for the post-season and having interchangeable defencemen down the stretch and in the first-round of the playoffs is important, especially when you already know who you’re facing.

NOT SO QUICK

To say past and present members of the Los Angeles Kings were pissed off about the team trading Jonathan Quick to Columbus wouldn’t even come close to properly defining how this move has affected the organization off the ice.

I’ve chatted and exchanged texts with multiple players and others in the club and across the NHL since the news dropped just after midnight ET and ‘stunned’ is one consistent word I’m able to share.

Quick was (and remains) pissed off. His teammates are pissed off. And it’s understandable. He’s in the last year of his contract and is an icon in that market. But if you judge him solely on his performance this season and the Kings’ positioning in the standings, you get it. But sometimes it’s more than that.

The Blue Jackets, as I was told in the wee hours of the morning, will try to flip Quick to another contending team. Toronto, Vegas and Pittsburgh come to mind, possibly Buffalo, but he’d have to be comfortable being the No.3 guy in three of those four spots (Vegas, aside). I guess he wouldn’t have much say in the matter, though, because if he did, he’d still be a King.

The other factor here is Quick is being paid $2.5 million in actual salary this season. He’s owed approximately $580,000 in real dollars as of today. If he’s flipped and Columbus retains half, that’s only $290,000 in actual money Columbus and the acquiring team would have to pay, while splitting his $5.8 million cap hit.

As for L.A., they may not be done. Kings GM Rob Blake created an additional $1.7 million in salary cap space giving them just over $5.2 million to play with. As I reported on Tuesday, the Kings had a significant offer on the table for Arizona Coyotes defenceman Jakob Chychrun. In fact, I’m told by a very well-placed source that standing offer was “very lucrative” and remained on the table for a better part of February. I don’t know what was fully pitched, but it’s clear the Coyotes tried to see if they could get more.

Blake wanted an answer from the Coyotes mid-week. He didn’t get one and shifted, pivoting to Vladislav Gavrikov, a strong, reliable defenceman who upgrades their blueline.

Are the Kings fully out of the Chychrun race? I don’t know. I believe the first-round pick in this summer’s draft that they shipped to Columbus was part of their offer. Would they go back with the same offer, switching the pick to 2024? More on Chychrun in a second...

Trevor Moore’s injury is a concern for the Kings and adding up front could be something they try to do before Friday’s 3pm ET deadline. With their cap space, they could land a solid winger and I wonder if they turn to Detroit and ask about Tyler Bertuzzi.

DESERT IN THE DETAILS

So, what do the Coyotes do now? Well, the same thing they’ve been doing this whole time – try to maximize the return for Chychrun.

Again, I can’t say for certain the Kings out now out of the mix. I assume so, but nobody’s told me that definitely as of this piece being published. I do suspect, however, teams like Washington, Carolina, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, St. Louis, Ottawa and Calgary will reconnect today with Arizona GM Bill Armstrong.

One thing to note: Various reports have suggested the Coyotes may retain salary in a Chychrun deal. I’m told that’s unlikely.

The Capitals moved a first-round pick to Toronto, but still own their own selection. If they part with it, it’s expected to be top-10 protected. Washington has been hot for Chychrun and could take another swing.

The Hurricanes, to me, are a wildcard in this race. They’ll move their first-rounder, and Chychrun fits their analytics, but would they cough up a significant package to get him? They’re in the race.

Arizona reportedly rejected an offer pitched by the Blues, but if L.A. is out, do the Coyotes reconsider? The Flames want to do something bold and are looking at both selling and buying. They checked in last month, do they circle back? Same with Buffalo.

The Coyotes certainly have options, but how much longer will they hesitate on pulling the trigger?

TIP-INS

• Back on the Flames, everyone’s wondering what GM Brad Treliving is going to do. Elias Lindholm’s name has been making the rounds. He has one more year left on his contract after this season and if the Flames shake things up, he’d command a big return.

• If the Hurricanes don’t land Chychrun, a player they’ve had talked about is John Klingberg of the Anaheim Ducks. There is interest, especially if the price drops. And as we first reported a couple of weeks ago, Adam Henrique is also a player they’ve discussed.

• Expect to hear Ivan Provorov’s name more over the next two days. He’s back in play for Philly.

• There has been traction on the Shayne Gostisbehere front. He, Nick Bjugstad, Nick Ritchie and Troy Stecher are in play. Teams have also called, again, on Lawson Crouse.

• In addition to Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana being in play for the Red Wings, forward Oskar Sundqvist has also attracted interest.

• The Montreal Canadiens are still willing to eat half of Jonathan Drouin’s $5.5 million cap hit if anyone’s interested.

• We may close the book on the Brock Boeser saga as early as today. Pittsburgh’s definitely in the mix, that I’ve confirmed, but they’re not the only team Vancouver’s been negotiating heavily with.

• There’s chatter the Chicago Blackhawks are trying to get Max Domi locked into a three- or four-year extension. Tyler Johnson’s name is also out there, and the Hawks may retain on his deal.

• Everyone’s wondering what the heck Vegas is doing to do. Are the Golden Knights going to give us the “where did that come from” deal? Or did L.A. already win that title?

• I’m still led to believe the San Jose Sharks will add young, NHL-caliber players to their roster by the deadline.