Leafs discussed 3 other players before trading for Nick Foligno.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be in something of a unique position during this National Hockey League preseason, as the team will no doubt have to address the barrage of questions that will pop up as a result of their soon to be released "All or Nothing" documentary. The documentary is set to release at the beginning of next month but on Monday morning Maple Leafs insider James Mirtle shared some advanced details, details that will no doubt lead to questions as well.

One of the big takeaways was no doubt the behind the scenes discussions around the time of the trade deadline that we will witness featuring Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and other key figures in the Leafs management. Those discussions included the names of 3 players that the Maple Leafs looked at acquiring prior to the deadline, players that presumably they looked at should the Nick Foligno trade fall through. 

Perhaps the most interesting name on the list was that of veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who at the time was a member of the New Jersey Devils organization. Kulikov would end up traded at the deadline, although he would land in Edmonton instead of Toronto, and although the Oilers struggled during the playoffs Kulikov himself performed decently. Over his 10 games during the regular season the Oilers controlled 51.97% of shot attempts at 5 on 5 with him on the ice, and that trend continued in the playoffs with the Oilers controlling 56.73% of shots with him on the ice despite their lack of postseason success.

The second name on that list was that of 36 year old veteran defenseman Alex Goligoski, who at the time was still a member of the Arizona Coyotes. It seems like the cost of acquiring Goligoski may have been what deterred the Leafs from going in this direction, with a second round draft selection rumored to be the cost of doing business. It is also difficult to evaluate players who play in Arizona, both becomes of the quality of the team around them and due to the dysfunctional nature of that organization.

Last and perhaps unfortunately least was defenseman Greg Pateryn. It seems like this was very much a last resort type of scenario, and it sounds like the Leafs were never really all that interested in acquiring him.