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The Toronto Maple Leafs are hoping to extend their home winning streak to four games as they take on the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre on Saturday.
The fourth and final installment of the Battle of Ontario represents two clubs going in different directions, as the Leafs are third in the Atlantic Division with 69 points and contemplating additions at the trade deadline, while the Senators an organization in flux.
Ottawa and Team President Tom Anselmi parted ways on Friday and the club gave GM Pierre Dorion a three-year contract extension, while at the same time releasing a statement that their poor performance this season after reaching the Eastern Conference Final will have Dorion potentially moving out players on high-priced contracts (Mike Hoffman, Zack Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Dion Phaneuf) and others coming on restricted and unrestricted free agency at the end of this or next season (Mark Stone, Cody Ceci and Erik Karlsson) for young assets and draft choices.
Toronto could be interested in Ceci and Karlsson if Ottawa is shopping them before February 26 or over the summer, but it is hard to believe that they would deal with their provincial and division rival unless they overpay.
The Leafs will make only one lineup change from the squad that won a 3-2 shootout over Nashville on Wednesday, as Connor Carrick will replace Roman Polak on the bottom pairing with rookie Travis Dermott, in part because the defenseman scored the game-winning goal against the Sens in Ottawa on January 20.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled their uniform for the Stadium Series game against the Washington Capitals in Annapolis, MD on March 3rd and if you like white, you will like these jerseys.
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The Toronto Marlies continued their winning ways in Belleville with a 7-4 victory over Senators on Friday. Mason Marchment and Miro Aaltonen scored a pair of goals, Martin Marincin, Ben Smith and Chris Mueller for the Marlies, who have not lost in regulation since December 29 and have gone 13-0-1 in their last 14 games.
Defenseman Andreas Borgman played his first AHL game after being sent down by the Leafs earlier this week, but the debut was not the success that the club would have preferred, as the 22-year-old was injured after taking an elbow to the head from Belleville forward Mike Blunden midway through the third period.
Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the game that Borgman seemed to be okay, but that he would be checked out by the club’s medical staff.
Winger Nikita Soshnikov had a pair of assists in the third game of his AHL conditioning stint. The 24-year-old can play up to five games before returning to the Leafs and having to open a roster spot.
Toronto’s current roster includes only two players (Travis Dermott and Kasperi Kapanen) who are waiver exempt, but both rookies have made a good case to remain in the NHL. The club may be looking to buy time until the trade deadline and avoid losing a player on waivers, which could mean sending either Dermott or Kapanen down for a short time or sitting Soshnikov one of the two remaining weekend games against Binghamton, extending his conditioning stint until next Friday in Belleville.
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Friday was the second anniversary of the nine-player deal that sent former Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa.
Phaneuf has played 152 regular season games for the Sens over the last three seasons, but there are indications that the club is looking to unload the 32-year-old defenseman with three years left on a seven-year, $49 Million contract.
Ottawa may have to retain some of Phaneuf’s $7 Million AAV or take a salary back to make a deal work, something that Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello miraculously did not have to do in 2016. Toronto took back over over $9 Million in salary in the contracts of Colin Greening, Jared Cowen and Milan Michalek, which only $750,000 remains (the second and final year of Cowen’s buyout).
Here is how the principles in the deal are currently doing:
To Ottawa
Dion Phaneuf - 53 points (13 goals, 40 assists) in 152 GP (Ottawa-NHL)
Matt Frattin - 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 42 GP (Astana Barys-KHL)
2 points (0 goals, 2 assists) in 2 GP (Lausanne HC-Swiss A)
Ryan Rupert - 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 39 GP (Indianapolis-ECHL)
Casey Bailey - 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 47 GP (Bridgeport-AHL)
Cody Donaghey - 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 34 GP (Brampton-ECHL)
To Toronto
Jared Cowen - Not playing professional hockey after buyout in summer of 2016
Milan Michalek - Not playing professional hockey after sent to AHL in 2016)
Colin Greening - 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 47 GP (Toronto-AHL)
Tobias Lindberg (traded to Vegas with 6th round pick for goalie Calvin Pickard)
18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) in 44 GP (Chicago-AHL)
Senators 2017 2nd round pick (Leafs select D Eemeli Rasanen - Kingston-OHL)
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Listen to my interview with Leafs former Asst. GM Bill Watters, as we discuss the current state of the club and what they should do before February 26:
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