Oilers and Leafs trying to trade for the same defenseman.

The Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly both trying to add a defenseman to their roster ahead of the National Hockey League trade deadline but there may be one big problem, both teams appear to be targeting the same man.

During Saturday night's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed his belief that both the Oilers and the Maple Leafs currently have their eyes on a developing situation within the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.

"I do think Edmonton and Toronto are among the teams that have looked into Gavrikov," revealed Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada. "What's interesting here is that Columbus is allowing teams to speak to him... but now Columbus is allowing teams to speak to Gavrikov as they try to facilitate a trade for the free agent defenseman."

It sounds like the Blue Jackets would have prefered to keep Gavrikov on their roster for the foreseeable future but for whatever reason it appears as though that is no longer possible and a trade is now the most likely path forward.

Gavrikov, who was a 6th round pick (159th overall) at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has spent his entire NHL career with the Blue Jackets thus far but he may be looking to move on to greener pastures.

He has appeared in 44 games this season for the Blue Jackets and has 3 goals and 7 assists to his name for a total of 10 points so far on the season. He has also racked up 26 penalty minutes and boasts a plus minus rating of -2 on the season.

The most interesting detail when it comes to Gavrikov however is his very manageable cap hit of just $2.8 million per season, as well as the fact that he is currently on an expiring deal. This means that teams with relatively little cap space like Edmonton and Toronto could easily squeeze him under the cap, and it may explain why both teams are making a play for Vladislav Gavrikov at this time.