Report: Maple Leafs eying Jake Muzzin replacement

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced the unfortunate news earlier today that defenseman Jake Muzzin's season is in fact over thanks to his cervical spine injury; he'll reportedly be re-evaluated at Leafs Training Camp this fall. 

In the meantime, despite having already acquired center Ryan O'Reilly from the St. Louis Blues, the Leafs may not be done dealing ahead of the March 3 NHL Trade Deadline. And according to NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, they have interest in a current member of the Nashville Predators that could be a replacement for Muzzin. 

LeBrun has listed Predators defenseman and alternate captain Mattias Ekholm as a potential trade target for the Leafs. Take a look at what he had to say: 

"One player getting a good amount of attention over the past week is Mattias Ekholm, 32, who has another three years on his deal after this one at a $6.25 million average annual value. He's still a bona-fide top-four defenseman, which is why some teams are intrigued.

But his age, 33 in May, is a concern given the term left on the deal. The asking price would be high — perhaps as much as two first-round picks. Not sure there's a team out there willing to pay that. But at the very least, the Preds are talking to teams about him.

I think the Maple Leafs, for example, have looked at him, but I don't easily see how Toronto can meet the asking price, and there's the issue of his contract."

Ekholm is in the first year of the four year deal that carries a cap hit of $6,250,000, and has tallied five goals with 13 assists in 55 games played so far this season.