From TSN's Darren Dreger: "Some rumblings Phaneuf may be in play. Nonis says he will trade just about anyone, but says no one has called on the captain...yet. #TSN"
will update
*******
The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired goaltender Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings for winger Matt Frattin, goaltender Ben Scrivens and a future second round draft pick.
The 24 year old Bernier was the Kings first round selection(11th overall) in 2006 and has only 62 NHL games under his belt over five seasons as Jonathan Quick’s backup in Los Angeles, but has been heavily pursued by NHL teams looking for a front line goaltender for years.
Reports indicate that the Leafs have been interested in Bernier going back to last season and that GM Dave Nonis significantly raised his offer to the Kings in the last week, as the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and New Jersey Devils had all expressed interest.
“This has been ongoing.” Kings Asst GM Ron Hextall referring to the trade discussions between the two clubs. “Whenever you like the principal pieces of a deal; we like their pieces, they liked our piece and it’s been ongoing for months.”
Toronto gives up Frattin in the deal, who showed signs of real promise in 2013, but not on a consistent basis. The 25 year old scored seven goals in his first ten games before missing almost a month due to knee surgery. After returning in mid-March, the University of North Dakota product did not score a goal in his final 21 games, including six playoff games against the Bruins.
The Leafs also ship the 26 year old Scrivens in the deal, who fits in nicely as Quick’s backup for the 2013-14 season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Scrivens led the Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup Final in 2012 and went 7-9-0, with a 2.69 GAA and .915 save percentage in 20 games with the Leafs this season.
More questions have now been raised in Toronto’s goaltending situation with the acquisition of Bernier. Did the influence of former boss of the Anschutz Entertainment Group and new MLSE President and CEO Tim Leiweke provide a push to get this deal done? The expectation is that Bernier will be the #1 goalie in Toronto, based on the price that they paid to acquire him and what they will pay to sign him to a new deal. Does this mean that the days of incumbent James Reimer in Toronto are numbered???
Listen to the next edition of Leaf Buzz tonight at 9:30 with myself, Gus Katsaros of McKeen’s Hockey and CTV’s Norman James to discuss the Bernier deal and the upcoming NHL Draft.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»