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The Toronto Maple Leafs claimed 24-year-old defenseman Tim Erixon off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks, in a move that could be a precursor to the exodus of one or more blueliners from the club’s roster before the NHL trade deadline at 3pm on Monday.
The former Calgary Flames first rounder will be playing for his third NHL club this season, as Erixon was traded by Columbus to Chicago for winger Jeremy Morin last December.
Erixon was placed on waivers by the Blackhawks to make room for veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who they acquired from Philadelphia on Friday. The son of former NHLer Jan Erixon was part of the 2012 mega deal that sent Rick Nash to the New York Rangers, but has failed to make his mark with just 13 points(1 goal and 12 assists) in 78 career games.
The waiver claim of Erixon is an indicator that Leafs GM Dave Nonis is preparing for the possibility of dealing defensemen who played in the 4-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, but the question is how many.
Korbinian Holzer is the likeliest to be on the move as the pending UFA has played well as a bottom pairing defenseman and could be attractive to a club looking for inexpensive blueline depth. Rumors persist that veterans Roman Polak, Stephane Robidas and Dion Phaneuf could be dealt as the market for rent-a-player defensemen gets smaller.
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Rumors
Here is the latest chatter on Leafs potential moves before Monday:
Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun observed Leafs GM Dave Nonis and Habs GM Marc Bergevin deep in discussion after Saturday’s game at the Bell Center. The two clubs have been linked in potential trades for winger Joffrey Lupul, center Tyler Bozak and defenseman Roman Polak in recent months.
Roman Polak
Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the Leafs are very unlikely to trade the 28-year-old blueliner, who has another year remaining on his contract at $2.75 Million. Toronto likes Polak’s toughness and abilities as a stay-at-home defenseman and may see value in signing the veteran to an extension this summer or to hold onto him until next year’s trade deadline if they are not blown away by an offer before tomorrow.
Joffrey Lupul
TSN’s Darren Dreger further reports earlier in the week from CSN-NE’s
Joe Haggerty that the Bruins and Leafs have discussed the 31-year-old winger, but only as a potential Plan B if Boston struck out on Arizona’s Antoine Vermette, who was traded to Chicago on Saturday for a first round pick and defenseman Klas Dahlbeck.
The Bruins are still rumored to be interested in Buffalo winger Chris Stewart, but the price for Stewart was said to be too high (on par with the 2nd and 3rd rounders Washington paid Calgary for winger Curtis Glencross. Washington was said to also have made inquiries about Lupul, but the acquisition of Glencross would likely have ended any interest in the Leafs winger.
The Ottawa Sun’s
Bruce Garrioch reports that Toronto has received inquiries from as many as five teams on Lupul, but his three years remaining at $5.25 Million could be a significant roadblock to getting a deal done.
Tyler Bozak
The New York Rangers and Bozak have been connected for a number of weeks, due to the Broadway Blueshirts need to add forward depth and a faceoff specialist. Reports on Saturday will probably move pending UFA Mats Zuccarello prior to Monday because the two sides are far apart in negotiations for a new deal.
From the NY Post’s
Larry Brooks :
Sources report the Rangers never once inquired about the Maple Leafs’ Tyler Bozak, but Toronto, anxious to move the 28-year-old center’s contract that has three years remaining at $4.2 million, have come knocking Sather’s door a number of times offering their No. 42 as a goodie too good to resist.
If the Rangers think Bozak could shift to a top-six spot on the wing, or Kevin Hayes could move up while Bozak centers the third line, then perhaps a Zuccarello-plus deal gets that done (as long as the pluses don’t add up to an organizational minus), with the Leafs then able to flip the Norwegian for a pick or two.
Jonathan Bernier
Sportsnet’s Damien Cox reported on Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast that the Leafs are listening to offers for the 26-year-old goalie, who will be a restricted free agent at year’s end.
It was thought that Toronto would look to sign Bernier to long-term contract extension this summer, but the Sun’s Steve Simmons indicated in his Sunday column that Leaf management has begun to have doubts about Bernier being the future #1 they thought they were getting when they traded for him in the summer of 2013.
Bernier’s contract status may be at the heart of the Leafs doubts. Any deal longer than one year would result in buying unrestricted years away and that would substantially escalate the goalie’s salary. With Toronto going through a rebuild that will likely take three to five years to complete, the question is whether it makes sense to sign Bernier for four or five years when the club will be bottoming out.
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McEichel Race – Points(Games Played)
8. DALLAS 64(62) 7. NEW JERSEY 62(63) 6. COLUMBUS 56(61) 5. CAROLINA 55(61), 4. TORONTO 55(62), 3. ARIZONA 47(63), 2. EDMONTON 46(63), 1. BUFFALO 43(63)
Current Leafs odds at winning Draft Lottery(9.5%) Up 1.0%
Saturday's results: New Jersey moves seven points ahead of Toronto with win over Columbus, Carolina wins the second of back-to-back weekend games on Long Island and passes Toronto in the standings (same amount of points, but have played one less game).
Games to Watch:
Columbus vs Pittsburgh
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