The Maple Leafs are trying to trade for a defenceman in time for tomorrow’s game against the New York Islanders, says general manager Brian Burke.

Burke, after doing a question-and-answer session with about 300 fans at the MasterCard Centre today, said he’s been working the phones in order to land a blueliner and was returning to that task this evening.

“We’ve got couple of things going. I don’t know if anything is going to come of it or not,” sad Burke. “We’re trying to add by tomorrow if we can. We’re trying to put a player in the lineup that can help us as soon as possible.”

While Burke was already shaking the bushes looking for help, another defenceman was hurt at today’s practice. A hobbling Brett Lebda has to be helped off the ice after he took a slapshot off the inside of his left leg. He may be available for the Islanders game with a leg bruise.

“We’ve had some discussion about forwards we’d have to consider but it’s not our priority. Our priority would be adding a defenceman,” said Burke.

The GM also said that he would meet with Clarke MacArthur’s agent, Don Meehan, this week to try to put a price on what the winger, having a breakout season, deserves in a new contract. MacArthur is due to become a restricted free agent this summer.

If a deal can’t be worked out, Burke said he would look at trading his leading scorer.

“I know he’s said he’s like to stay. I think he’d be crazy not to, playing in a city like this with linemates (Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin) like that. But we haven’t put amounts on it,” Burke said.

“That’s going to happen this week. If he doesn’t agree to something that makes sense, we’re going to listen (to offers). It’s not an easy player to quantify. It’s a player who has averaged roughly 40 points his whole career, now he’s on a pace for 80 or whatever it is. It’s not easy to quantify what a player like that is worth.”