The Dion Phanuef trade was a thing of genius for Brian Burke. He got a top 4 d-man, our leader, our captain in Dion plus a great up coming d-man in Aulie for basically expendable parts WITHOUT giving up any picks or prospects.
This trade really helped shape the Leafs. It’s quite obvious that the Leafs are lacking maybe that one piece of the puzzle to push them over the hump & into the playoffs. Not if but when Buffalo & Washington get their A game going, the Leafs as they are today are going be in real danger of falling further in the East. Hard to believe but even with the log jam on the Leafs D, they not only need an upgrade for a top 6 center but they need to get shutdown D man. We have the offensive guys in Liles, Franson & Gardiner. Phanuef, Schenn & Aulie are the shut down guys but Schenn is inconsistent, Aulie needs to still develop & Phanuef is hot & cold. I see Gunnarsson as the odd man out if a trade happens.
The Leafs have depth to make a deal. They just have to decide amongst Bozak, Connolly & Grabbo as to which of the three they see as expendable. With the emergence of Frattin & Kadri, does this make MaCarthur expendable? Kadri has shown he can play on the LW, so does this make Kulemin available as trade bait? These are obvious tough decisions for Burke but not doing anything with put the Leafs in serious jeapordy for missing the playoffs yet again.
If I’m Burke, I don’t even think moving young guys like Kadri, Franson or Colborne. Just use the extra depth they already have with some older players & work with that when trying to make a deal. Something is obviously missing with the Leafs & it’s up to Burke to fix it sooner than later b4 another season is lost.
Here’s hoping, but there aren’t that many out there.
I know it is sooooo hard to make a deal especially in an NHL cap world. I have faith that Burke can find & make the right deal.
I don’t really think that anything Burke does will have an impact until the moron pulling this team down is removed. They are going nowhere until that changes.
Happy New Year to all the L4L regulars, be safe
Happy New Year everyone.
Genius? Burke himself admitted that it was Darryl Sutter who put the Phaneuf deal together (though only he and God know why). And (I hate to bring it up) while Kessel, to his credit, continues to score goals, it is becoming increasingly more doubtful that the Leafs will make the playoffs. His and Lupul’s performance will likely mean the Leafs get a “middling” draft pick instead of one in the top 5. That’s no way to build a consistent contender.
The problem is that the Leafs simply can’t, or won’t, play defense. If the coaching staff can’t fix that (and they have had plenty of time to do so), they should be fired. If the GM won’t fire them, he should be fired.
BTW – It looks like I was a week late with my prediction that the Leafs would be in 10th or 11th place by Christmas.
If Crosby ever comes back, I can see Kulemin + Gunnarsson + Steckel being shipped to Pittsburgh for Jordan Staal.
Kulemin and Malkin have ridiculous chemistry. Gunnarsson paired with Niskanen would be crazy.. and Steckel to win key face-offs in the playoffs.
Immediately helps our PK, gives that top-line a centre worthy of playing with Kessel and Lupul and would even help their plus-minus by having someone responsible defensively on the team. No offence to Bozak, but Staal has Selke like tendencies.
Interesting idea, but I’m not sure Jordan Staal is really a #1 centre. I’ll grant you that he’d be a significant upgrade on Bozak, though, and a VERY NICE addition to the team.
I think it’s more likely that Burke (for the sake of his job) will soon be looking for a veteran goaltender who might be able to carry this team into a playoff spot … someone like Nabokov (if Wilson hasn’t burned that bridge from his days with the Sharks). Maybe if Komisarek is decent for a few games following his return, he could be part of a package, perhaps including either Gustavsson or Reimer, going to the Islanders in exchange for Nabokov plus …?
If you mention Reimer in a trade again I’ll smack you. Lol.
Honestly, Jordan Staal could be a very good number 1 centre on the right team. I think his style of play would be perfect for Kessel and Lupul. His two-way play is unrivalled by anyone his age in the league. With Crosby gone, he’s been relied upon a lot and he’s doing a very good job. When Malkin went down, he was the #1 centre and he played his best stretch of games.
Like Bozak, Staal has been miscast as a 3rd line centre while Bozak was miscast as a 1st line centre. That’s why this deal makes so much sense.
Another possibility who just came to mind is Niklas Backstrom (Minnesota), which would pave the way for Harding to become the #1 there. The Leafs have some assets that could be of interest to Fletcher.
Harding isn’t happy in Minnesota, that much is known. He’s a pending UFA, and unless they trade Backstrom at the deadline, he will walk. I said as much a few months ago that the Leafs should trade for him and swap Gustavsson+ for him. Back then he only had 1 win and it was before he was getting some starts.
I think he’ll like the idea of signing for 4mil somewhere other than Minnesota.
Luca Caputi has been traded to Anaheim for Nicolas Deschamps
The scoop:
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/nicolas_deschamps
sideways move
I heard that the Leafs wanted Patrick Maroon but the ducks wouldn’t move him unless the Leafs included Brenner. I think the proposed deal from Anaheim was:
Caputi + Brenner
for
Maroon + Bell
Apparently Burke wasn’t willing to have Mark Bell back in the Leafs system, even to sit him in the press box.
Where’d you hear that?
Lyle Richardson and I still chat on occasion about the Leafs. He feeds me stuff he doesn’t have the appropriate sources to just go out on the record and say.
Everyone probably already knows this, but the Leafs have placed Colton Orr on waivers. Pretty much expected, with Komisarek, Brown and maybe Armstrong reportedly returning from the IR list in the next few days. By my count, the Leafs active roster includes 23 players, with Orr and Holzer in the mix.
I guess that means Aulie, Boyce, Crabb, Frattin, Holzer and Kadri will all be staying on the active roster for at least one more game.
Brown is likely coming back first, hence the move to create an “opening” in the forward ranks. Whose spot will he take on the ice?
Komisarek will probably be the next one to return, which means that Holzer will be sent back to the Marlies, right? Which Dman gets bounced to the press box? Schenn?
It might be interesting to see what happens when Armstrong is ready to return to the lineup. Does Rosehill get vanquished to the AHL? If they keep Frattin and/or Kadri, they have to play, right? So who sits?
I’m not sure about Liles, but Bozak is due to come off the IR list sometime next week as I understand it. That will require yet another roster move.
Maybe there will be some “action” off the ice as a result of all of this?
Holzer and Rosehill will be assigned to the Marlies, Armstrong will stay on the IR for another 3 weeks after a setback, Crabb will get either put back in the AHL or be #13.
My guess, with Komisarek coming back Aulie will go back down because of his waiver free status until a defenseman can be moved. In all likelihood, Gunnarsson.
Interesting. I think you’re right about Holzer and Rosehill. Not so sure about Crabb, as much as I agree that’s how it should work out. RW seems to like him for some reason. Personally, I think the only thing on the team slower than Schenn’s feet is Crabb’s head. Did you see him on Kubins’a goal? He’s playing LW, and he chased the puck into the RW corner, then back to the front of the net … never going near the right point.
I think you’re right about Aulie, too, though he looked pretty good the other night … more like himself from last season after his call-up.
As for the Dman to be traded, I’m starting to think it might well be Schenn. See my comment below re: players apparently available from the Ducks. Would you put Schenn into a package to get one of them? If Ryan (24) was a centre, I’d say him, but Getzlaf (26 – to play between Kessel and Perry) would likely be a better fit right now.
Happy New Year everyone. Been away for a bit and just spent some time tonight to get the lineups caught up, both Marlies and Leaf rosters have been updated with changes. Added Nicolas Deschamps to Marlies page with link to stats.
Who is in the mood to dream …
Chris Nichols:
Ducks GM Murray tells @helenenothelen Getzlaf, Perry or Ryan avail for right price. Core player for core player. Selanne/Koivu untouchable.
10:08 PM January 4 (SportsNet.ca/hockey)
Which one would you go after? At what price?
Any reasonable price for any of them, really. We need a shakeup and adding one of them would be huge for this team. Honestly, I think Getzlaf ends up a Leaf, though I don’t know if he’s the right fit. Great player, but he’s accomplished everything. I question his motivation now..
I want Perry more than any of them, but I think we need Getzlaf the most. I’d stay away from Ryan.
Where did you hear this about Army?? He was on the ice for full practice the other day. Seems to be closer than 3 weeks away, more like within the week.
I’d think it’s Gezlaf. He’s the perfect fit IMO. Big, elite center you is a setup guy with a bit of a mean streak. Sounds perfect for Kessel-Lupul.
How can you question is motivation? Wouldn’t the same hold true for a guy like Jordan Staal who you’ve mentioned before? He’s won it all too. that puts him in the same category as Getzlaf.
That was my guess on how it will play out, not how it is. Something tells me he’ll practice, then stop practising for another week or two.
OK…. Thought you were saying he did have a setback. Wouldn’t surprise me to see it play out like that.
Difference is Jordan Staal has a compete level like none I’ve seen in the past few years. I’ve never seen him take a night off. Look at Getzlaf this season and last, he’s just not got the same intensity he used to have.
In fairness to Getzlaf, he has accomplished pretty much everything in Anaheim, and done it in front of (probably) one local beat reporter. If he were to come to Toronto, I think the situation might re-invigorate him. And I’d much rather have him than Jordan Staal as C1.
Eric Staal, on the other hand, would be a good fit as C1 in Toronto, too. Like Getzlaf, he is having an “off” season, but I think moving to a “hockey market” might get his competitive juices flowing.
Am I holding my breath waiting for the announcement that any of the above players have been acquired by the Leafs? No.
On another note, McKegg was traded to the London Knights yesterday. He has to be happy about that! So do the Leafs.
Paul Hendrick
Matt frattin skates as an extra with jay rosehill today with mike brown back in the lineup.
Frattin taken out over Crabb?? Frattin has be very good of late in all three zones. Fucking Wilson.
I told you so. (I thought I was logged in, but apparently not.)
Jonas Siegel
Colby Armstrong not practicing today. Armstrong had taken part in one full practice. Still recovering from concussion.
David Alter
Interesting that Colby Armstrong is not skating with the team after he had been the past couple of days. #Leafs
Would just like to say… I told you so.
If it isn’t a set-back on Colby’s part, it’s Burke/Wilson going ‘what the hell are we going to do with everyone? Maybe we should keep him off the ice and have a second opinion on him to see if we can buy some time to figure shit out.’
You nail that one. What are the lotto numbers for tonight!
Tampa Bay is scouting Rynnas, and with the Leafs wanting to add size, I hope it’s not Malone as the target, just speculating here.
Actually, I heard Burke is looking at Ashton and Gilroy. Apparently he’s still really high on Gilroy, but Gils didn’t think he’d make the Leafs based on our depth. He still wouldn’t.
Ashton would be great, Gilroy is pointless here.
Where did you see this LM?
TorontoMarlies Toronto Marlies
The Marlies have recalled goaltender Mark Owuya from the Reading Royals. In 12 games with the Royals, Owuya is 7-1-2 with a 0.929 save %
Scrivens relegated to backup duty.. Rynnas being moved. Book it!
He was relegated to more than backup duty.
It was on twitter, I can’t find it anymore. There were Tampa scouts at the recent Marlies homestand.
Leafs are 19-9-2 this season when both Kessel & Lupul have at least 1 point.
Great stat, and that has been very often.