There has been a ton of speculation regarding pending UFA Daniel Winnik and his future as a Toronto Maple Leaf for quite some time now. But this afternoon the Maple Leafs finally pulled the trigger by trading the forward to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What Did The Leafs Get?
The Maple Leafs sent Winnik to the Penguins for forward Zach Sill, a fourth-round pick in 2015 and second-round pick in 2016. The Leafs have also retained 50% of Winnik's salary due to a tight cap in Pittsburgh ($1.3 million cap hit +$650K.)
Who Is Zach Sill?
You may be wondering who Zach Sill is. Well, he is an AHL grinder and was put in the deal to clear a contract out of Pittsburgh. But he's not exactly what I would call a great hockey player or prospect, having only scored three points in 42 games for the Pens this season.
The Leafs will likely roll with Sill for the remainder of the season, or send him down to the AHL and call up other prospects. Zach is expected to the join the team in Toronto tomorrow for practice, but it's not clear if he will make his Leafs' debut vs the Philadelphia Flyers or sit out a game or two.
Is This Trade Good For Toronto?
Yes - the Leafs did great by acquiring two draft picks, one this year and one in 2016 and that's some very good asset management. Considering the Leafs signed Winnik to a one-year deal in the summer as a free agent, and were able to flip him just before the deadline for a solid return is really refreshing to see. Toronto doesn't need to bring in NHL ready players or high end prospects in deals like these, they need to acquire draft picks and build their team through the draft.
Also, we can't forget about the Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson deal either, as Santorelli was also signed as a free agent and Toronto was able to flip him for a prospect in a recent trade with the Nashville Predators which saw a first round pick come back (albeit due to Franson being involved, but still).
What Can We Expect Moving Forward?
So, what can we expect out of this? Obviously, we need to wait for the draft and see which players the Leafs management group take, but in terms of Sill, don't expect much at all. As noted above, he was more of a cap dump and won’t likely have much of a role with the Leafs moving forward. While acquiring added depth is one thing, this move was made to free up space needed in Pittsburgh as they look to improve their roster for the playoffs.
Is Tyler Bozak Next?
Like Winnik, there has been a ton of talk regarding centerman Tyler Bozak over the past few weeks and his status moving forward in Toronto. Bozak does not have a massive contract ($4.2 million per year) like Dion Phaneuf or Phil Kessel so it is much easier to move. According to Darren Dreger, interest in Bozak has elevated over the past couple of days, but there was no mention of what teams were/are interested.
I personally could see a fit within the Boston Bruins org. given their recent loss of David Krejci (me too…damn fantasy leagues), so it would be interesting to see if anything can come of that. Moreover, I still believe there are conversations between Nonis and the Avalanche with respect to O’Reilly. With respect to Dave scouting the Rangers vs Habs game of late, I wonder if it is Bozak over Lupul that may have either team’s interest.
Outside of these thoughts, Andy Strickland reported this afternoon that GM Don Maloney of the Arizona Coyotes wouldn't mind players with term coming back as they need centers. Well, Bozak would be a nice fit, no?
We shall see!
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Good day folks, today’s blog will be short and sweet as I had all four wisdom teeth removed just a few hours ago and the only thing keeping me in this chair are T3’s.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, like always, are involved in just about every trade discussion out there at the moment, and while they seem to be succeeding at…well…failing, how they come out of the trade deadline is making many fans nervous.
In terms of your Daniel Winnik’s and Mike Santorelli’s there wasn’t a whole lot that fans are expecting, but when you introduce Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, and even Tyler Bozak into these discussions, fans and the media alike start to get a little stir crazy.
I wrote a blog last week asking, or at least discussing the value of Phil Kessel in terms of a possible trade target, and the consensus seemed to be (as expected) that the Leafs aren’t likely to fetch top dollar for this elite scorer until perhaps the off-season when more teams can be involved in the discussion and cap space becomes a little more flexible.
That said, I do still feel that a team will make a solid offer for Kessel as they look to make a late push for the postseason, because if you have a well-established team short of a 30+ goal scorer, Kessel could really take you to the next level.
Many argue that Kessel isn’t a guy who you should rely on when looking to “win… because he’s not a “winner…. To that I’m sure Kessel and his agent would offer the following as a retort – “they hate us cause they anus…. Or, wait……cause they ain’t us…. That’s better.
I digress.
Point is – Kessel has a ton of value and no, he is not overpaid. While I agree that he is not a complete player and that his 200ft game could stand to improve, you put this guy with a top center and winger and you have a very dangerous first line…on any team.
Now, in terms of the rest of the chatter right now, I feel the only players the Leafs will be moving sooner than later will be Tyler Bozak, Joffrey Lupul, and Daniel Winnik. Both these players should bring back at least 2nd round picks and strong prospects, with Bozak & Lupul bringing back something “decent….
There are teams who have lost depth at center and Bozak with his cap hit could be very useful to said team, while if Lupul can stay healthy for a few series, he could be rather dynamic for a team struggling to score goals. There's certainly a risk with respect to Lupul given his "accident proneness", but I think we see a team roll the dice with this guy and cough up a decent little prospect.
In terms of Dion Phaneuf, I sincerely hope he gets moved, and fast. But I do not believe anyone will make offers to the Maple Leafs that are worth considering until the offseason, and I have a strong inclination that we will see him play out the rest of the year.
Outside of the above, much if any of the rumours surrounding the Leafs have been rather hush-hush of late, but with David Nonis taking in the recent Montreal vs Rangers game I feel we will be seeing another trade very soon.
What are your thoughts on everything going on right now?