HockeyBuzz columnist Mike Augello covers the Maple Leafs and fills in for Ek today
The Maple Leafs have achieved a level of success through the first two months of the 2013-14 season, as they currently sit third in the Eastern Conference standings behind perennial Stanley Cup contenders Boston and Pittsburgh.
Toronto has received stellar goaltending from newcomer Jonathan Bernier and incumbent James Reimer (who made 49 saves in a 2-1 shootout victory over Washington on the weekend), boast a lethal power play (ranked second in the NHL) and have persevered through a series of injuries and suspensions due to the quality depth of their roster partially assembled by former GM Brian Burke and augmented further over the summer by current GM Dave Nonis.
Nonis had a difficult task after adding free agent winger David Clarkson, re-signing center Tyler Bozak and trading for two-time Stanley Cup winner Dave Bolland to get RFA’s Nazem Kadri and Cody Franson signed and stay below the $64.3 Million salary cap. That feat will be an even greater challenge next summer, when the Leafs have 13 players scheduled for unrestricted and restricted free agency.
Toronto solved one potential dilemma by locking up winger Phil Kessel to an eight-year, $64 Million contract extension before the season began, but they face another even more difficult situation with team captain Dion Phaneuf.
Phaneuf is one of those players that fans either love or despise. He logs the most minutes and draws the most difficult matchups on a nightly basis and is clearly a top pairing NHL defenseman, but he is not the same player who scored 54 goals in his first three seasons before signing a six-year, $39 Million contract extension with Calgary. That contract was the main reason why the former Norris Trophy finalist was traded to Toronto in January, 2010 and now is a stumbling block to a potential extension with the Leafs.
As with everything involving Toronto, the negotiations between the club and Phaneuf’s representatives are being played out in the media. The opening salvo was fired late last month with a report that the starting point in contract talks would be seven years, $50+ Million, making Phaneuf the third highest paid defenseman in the NHL behind Nashville's Shea Weber and Minnesota's Ryan Suter.
“That is ludicrous and that was not stated by David Nonis, that is a plant by the agent and it is all over hockey.” said former Leafs Asst GM and player agent Bill Watters. “Not only have they planted it in the media, they have planted it with every general manager so that they now have upgraded Phaneuf’s worth to the Maple Leafs.”
The Leafs have been careful regarding the ongoing contract talks and are not expressing the same certainty that a deal would be reached as they did prior to Kessel’s signing.
“I think at the end of the day we are going to try to get Dion signed and whether or not that comes to fruition, you never know, but it is our intention to get him signed.” Nonis said in a radio interview with Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair last week. “It has to be the right number, it has to fit for us so we can continue to build our team, so whether it’s next week or March 1st, it doesn’t make a difference to me.”
According to CBC’s Glenn Healy, the Leafs want Phaneuf to take a lesser salary for the security of a longer term deal, which would allow Nonis more room to re-sign key players like Mason Raymond, Bolland, Jay McClement, Mark Fraser and RFA’s Reimer and Jake Gardiner.
If an accommodation cannot be reached and Phaneuf maintains his stance on breaking the bank on a new deal, than a trade before the March 5th deadline is not out of the realm of possibility.
Nonis may be planning for that eventuality, as rumors persist that the Leafs have interest in Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason, who is under contract for another two seasons. Gleason by no means would be a replacement for Phaneuf, but would allow blueliners like Cody Franson, Gardiner or Morgan Rielly to assume a larger role.
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