The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly in talks with the New York Islanders about one of their bigger, nastier defensemen ahead of Friday's trade deadline.

With less than 48 hours until the NHL trade deadline, fewer players remain available than at the start of the week. Some of the targets the Toronto Maple Leafs were after have either signed new contracts or were traded to other teams.

TSN: The Toronto Maple Leafs are keeping tabs on the St. Louis Blues and captain Brayden Schenn in case the opportunity arises, according to Darren Dreger. They’re looking at centers, as well as the defenseman market, which is also thin.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Toronto Maple Leafs still haven't made any deals since the October trade that saw Liljegren leave town.

The Lightning (36-21-4) have gone from a team battling for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference to pushing toward the top of the Atlantic Division by going 10-1-1 in their past 12 games heading into their game against the Buffalo Sabres at Amalie Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN).

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a habit of making big moves at the trade deadline, but whether or not they will do so this year remains a mystery. Tampa Bay is in

Selected by Columbus in the third round (No. 89) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Bjorkstrand has 375 points (167 goals, 208 assists) in 606 regular-season games for the Kraken and Blue Jackets and 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Toronto has reportedly been interested in Scott Laughton and Brayden Schenn to shore up its center depth. Both players have a cap hit higher (Laughton at $3 million and Schenn at $6.5 million) than what the Maple Leafs have in space, but Toronto is said to be looking for salary retention.

Andy Strickland: St. Louis Blues defenseman Ryan Suter said if he gets his wife’s blessing, he’s open to playing another season. He’s really enjoyed his time in St. Louis and raves about Brayden Schenn’s leadership.