Maple Leafs join the arms race, add Tomas Plekanec, Kyle Baun

After the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins made moves to bolster their rosters, the Toronto Maple Leafs did the same.

The Eastern Conference seems to be the only conference that knows the trade deadline is Monday at 3 p.m. ET.

So far, all the biggest names have stayed in the East, as the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired center Derick Brassard, the New Jersey Devils added winger Michael Grabner and the Boston Bruins traded for former All-Star Rick Nash.

Not to be left out, the Toronto Maple Leafs entered the fray this afternoon and made a deal with a fellow Canadian team:

This deal comes on the heels of star center Auston Matthews suffering a shoulder injury and not having the clearest timetable for recovery.

The Leafs announced Sunday they’ve placed Matthews on injured reserve:

This trade does give the Leafs some serious depth down the middle. When they have a full lineup, they can dress a combo of Matthews, Plekanec, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak, among others at center. The Leafs could be taking a page out of the Penguins’ book by building their strength at the center position and working their way out.

Plekanec only has 24 points on the season but brings that veteran grit to a young team that franchises crave this time of the year. He’s a defensive-minded center who is excellent on face-offs and can be trusted in any situation.

As far as Kyle Baun goes for the Leafs, he’s likely not going to see much ice. He only has five games to his credit in the NHL and the last came two seasons ago.

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The overriding theme of the trade deadline so far seems to be the prices are very high.

Plekanec is still a useful player in the NHL, but is also a 35-year-old rental. Between the package the Canadiens got in return and the package the Rangers received for Rick Nash, teams making additions had better be ready to pony up.