Edmonton Journal columnist David Staples mentioned via Twitter the possibility of the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers making a deal for the top pick in this year’s Entry Draft, which will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on June 27-28.
Staples suggests that the Leafs would have to swap their first rounder(8th overall) and either defenseman Dion Phaneuf or Jake Gardiner for the Panthers pick.
Florida GM Dale Tallon stated earlier this month that he would be willing to shop the first overall pick and new Panthers owner Vincent Viola is expected to open up his pocketbook this summer to improve his club immediately.
Trading the top pick to make upgrades now is consistent with the acquisition of veteran goaltender Roberto Luongo from Vancouver. Luongo is 34 and has a limited window as a top level goalie, which makes a trade for immediate defensive help a distinct possibility.
The Panthers have former lottery pick Erik Gudbranson, young Dmitri Kulikov and veteran Brian Campbell, but their blueline has long been an area of need.
All indications are that the Leafs are not likely to trade Gardiner, who is a restricted free agent this summer, but might entertain the idea of trading Phaneuf, who has no trade restrictions before his new seven year, $49 Million deal kicks in on July 1.
Assuming that this deal did occur, the question is who would the Leafs select if they were drafting first. The no-brainer would be defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who many expect will play in the NHL next season, but there may be a temptation to draft a top center prospect like Sam Bennett or Sam Reinhart.
This will be a rumor that we will undoubtedly hear more about for the next month.
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The red-hot Toronto Marlies continued their winning ways as five different players scored goals and goaltender Drew MacIntyre made 49 saves in a 5-1 victory over the Texas Stars in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Western Conference on Friday night.
Brandon Kozun, TJ Brennan, Peter Holland, Sam Carrick and Jerred Smithson scored for the Marlies, who registered their eighth straight playoff win and fifth postseason victory on the road.
The Marlies showed a bit of rust after being inactive for a week, but were opportunistic and jumped out to an early lead just over three minutes into the first, as team captain Trevor Smith sent Kozun on a clear break, who fired a wrist shot past Stars goalie Cristopher Nilstorp.
Texas came close to tying the game, as forward Brett Ritchie had a glorious chance in front of the net but was stymied by MacIntyre, who scrambled back into the net without his stick to make a remarkable stop.
“Drew in my mind was the best guy on the ice tonight.” Marlies coach Steve Spott said following the game.
In spite of being outshot 17-6 in the middle frame, the Marlies took a commanding 3-0 lead as Ritchie’s interference call on Greg McKegg gave them the man advantage.
The power play converted as Brennan fired from the top of the faceoff circle just inside the left post past Nilstorp and just 13 seconds later Toronto pounced on a defensive zone gaveaway, as Holland scored his fifth goal in five straight playoff games.
The Stars spent nearly the entire third period on the Marlies zone, peppering MacIntyre with 21 shots, due in part to three Toronto minor penalties.
“At times, the ice was tilted.” A victorious yet unsatisfied Spott said. “Of the eight games we’ve played in the playoffs, this is probably the one where our structure wasn’t where it needed to be.”
Texas coach Willie Desjardins made an unusual move trying to get his team on the scoreboard, as he pulled Nilstorp with nearly nine minutes left to go in regulation to give his club a two-man advantage on their power play chances. Texas finally broke through as Chris Mueller scored to cut the lead to 3-1 and the Stars forward nearly scored again moments later, hitting the side of the net before Carrick and Smithson iced the game away with empty net tallies.
The two clubs will meet again on Monday at Cedar Park Center just outside of Austin, TX before heading back to Toronto for the next three games on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday (if necessary) at Ricoh Coliseum.
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