Yet the mood around the Leafs dressing room sunk a little lower than expected following a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins as Chris Tanev walked out with his right arm in a sling. The Leafs’ top defenceman took a hit from Bruins centre Pavel Zacha in his second shift of the game and did not return.

With just 10 days until the trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs are a key focus in ongoing NHL discussions. While their deadline approach is a major storyline, they also have two significant pending unrestricted free agents to consider—John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

Bourne highlighted Parayko as Toronto's "top player of interest" and pointed to his long-term value despite his contract, which carries a $6.5 million cap hit through 2030 as part of a massive eight-year, $52 million deal.