According to The Fourth Period there is some activity around the Toronto Maple Leafs in the rumor mill.

The Fourth Period had some information to pass along about the Toronto Maple Leafs in their latest post.

“According to multiple league sources, several teams have inquired about van Riemdsyk, but it’s unclear if the Leafs are still willing to part with him.” (The Fourth Period)

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had James Van Riemsdyk pop up in rumors before, but there hasn’t been much concrete speculation on him being dealt.

His age, and talent, make him a player for the Toronto Maple Leafs to retain for the (anticipated) successful years that are somewhere on the horizon. In the same breath, though, those are also reasons that make him an attractive acquisition for teams around the league.

Van Riemsdyk has a cap hit of $4.25M for an additional two years beyond the 2015-2016 season, which only adds to his value. The 26 year old has struggled this season to produce much offense, which has likely led to him being mentioned in the rumor mill.

JVR is a player the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have to evaluate and decide whether or not he’s a core piece moving forward. If he isn’t then they’d be wise to sell now and get as high of a return as possible.

Talking With Anaheim?

Also from The Fourth Period, the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly in conversation with the Anaheim Ducks on a deal.

“The Leafs and Anaheim Ducks are rumored to be having significant trade talks, involving a number of players, though TFP could not confirm which players are being discussed.

Adding fuel to the rumor fire Monday night was the fact Ducks GM Bob Murray was in attendance for the Maple Leafs’ 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars along with one of his pro scouts.” (The Fourth Period)

Let’s play connect the dots and speculate, everyone’s favorite game.

In other rumors recently, the Toronto Maple Leafs were in search of a goaltender. Anaheim has a goaltender named John Gibson that half the NHL would love to acquire. Gibson would be my first choice if I was calling Anaheim.

After Gibson I’d be looking at Cam Fowler on defence and Nick Ritchie up front.

Those aren’t cheap acquisitions, but the rumor from The Fourth Period suggests a multi-player transaction is being discussed, which could mean there are valuable pieces at play.

Toronto has players to move and Anaheim could be looking to shake things up after a very slow start to the 2015-2016 campaign.