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Biggs, Sparks Chosen For Team USA WJC Camp; What Is Fair Value For Luongo?

December 3, 2012, 11:44 PM ET [462 Comments]
Mike Augello
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Two Maple Leafs prospects have been chosen for Team USA's selection camp for the upcoming World Juniors in Russia.

2011 first rounder Tyler Biggs and seventh rounder Garret Sparks were among the 27 selections. The 19 year old Biggs is enjoying a fine first season with the OHL's Oshawa Generals, with 15 goals, 16 assists and 42 penalty minutes in 30 games.

Sparks, selected 190th overall is the Guelph Storm's number one goaltender and leads all OHL goalies in games played with 28, has a 2.91 GAA, 15 wins and .916 save percentage. Kitchener's John Gibson(an Anaheim property) and Providence College's Jon Gillies(a Calgary draft pick) will all be making the trip to Russia, but Gibson was selected for the tournament last year and may have an inside track on the number one job.

Biggs and Sparks join Tom Nilsson, who was chosen for Team Sweden's selection camp and 2012 first rounder Morgan Rielly, who was chosen for Team Canada's squad yesterday.

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It’s a pleasant change to discuss a validity of a trade rumor rather than the makeup of the player’s group or the six pack of owners meeting in New York tomorrow afternoon. The face to face meeting is the brainchild of Commissioner Gary Bettman and was done to get around the animosity being directed at him by numerous players and to avoid the owner’s suspicions that PA head Donald Fehr is not giving the rank and file the total story of the league’s offer for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Whether a frank discussion between Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Black Hawks star Jonathan Toews without the filter of Fehr and Bettman’s spin may result in progress towards an agreement, no one can know for sure, but the unmistakable fact is that the clock is ticking on any chance of having a season of reasonable length.

To provide a little distraction, Sportsnet host Daren Millard appeared on Vancouver’s TEAM 1040 over the weekend and reiterated the rumor mentioned a month ago by Sportsnet commentator John Shannon that Roberto Luongo will end up in Toronto as soon as the new CBA has been agreed to. Millard went further and mentioned the names of Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri as the players that will be sent to the Canucks for the 33 year old netminder.

There have been all sorts of rumors and speculation about what the cost will be to extract the former All Star and Olympic Gold Medal winner.

Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox wrote in October that the buzz at the NHL Draft indicated the Canucks were asking for Bozak, defenseman Jake Gardiner, winger Matt Frattin and their first-round pick in exchange for Luongo, but that GM Brian Burke had no intention of paying that kind of price because the Leafs were the only team making inquiries for the veteran goalie’s services.

Talks between the two clubs supposedly continued on and off over the summer with Bozak being the centerpiece of a potential deal, as he was seen a good fit as a third line center behind Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler, but Vancouver likely wanted more to complete the deal.

Obviously Vancouver GM Mike Gillis is looking to get as much talent in return for his excess goaltender, especially if it is younger, more inexpensive players he can hang onto for a number of years. Including Bozak in a Luongo deal makes sense from a Toronto perspective, since they have stockpiled small quick centers like Tim Connolly and Mathew Lombardi, who could be placed between Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, but including a young prospect is where things get complicated.

The fact that Luongo’s deal is an anchor weighing on the Canucks is something that has not been emphasized enough and should drive down the return they can get for him. It is not realistic that Toronto would include Kadri, the 2009 former 7th overall pick who is playing well after a slow start with the AHL Marlies, unless they have secretly soured on him or if the deal has other players besides Luongo included.

Any deal made for Luongo is going to entail Vancouver sharing some of the financial burden, either by taking back salaried players like Connolly and Mike Komisarek or by some other means if the new CBA allows it. My suspicion is that Burke is not ready to move his first top pick made in Toronto as a throw-in.

In the end, what do you think the Leafs will give up for Luongo???


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