With five weeks to go before the NHL trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs have put out the message to other teams that many of their players are available for trade.
James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail reports that GM Lou Lamoriello has been working the phones to inform his counterparts who he is shopping and likely a general idea of what they are looking for in return.
Toronto as expected will be looking to move expiring contracts in forwards P-A Parenteau, Michael Grabner, Nick Spaling, Shawn Matthias, Brad Boyes, defenseman Roman Polak and goalie James Reimer, but have also indicated a willingness to move players with term left on their contracts like forward Daniel Winnik and goaltender Jonathan Bernier.
The 30-year-old Winnik re-signed with Toronto last summer after being traded to Pittsburgh prior to the deadline for a couple draft choices and has another year left at $2.25 Million, but has not played well since suffering a lower body injury in Washington in early November.
Bernier has one more year at $4.15 Million and has bounced back after a horrific 0-8-3, going over .500 in his last 10 starts.
Winnik is unlikely to draw anywhere close to the second and fourth round pick he brought back last February, but his experience, size and abilities as a penalty killer and versatility to play both center and wing could attract interest.
Potential interest in Bernier popped up last month in connection to a report from Sportsnet’s Eric Francis that the Calgary Flames had held internal discussions regarding the 27-year-old goalie.
Calgary Team President Brian Burke and GM Brad Treliving visited Toronto in late December and the Flames goaltending situation is a mess with Karri Ramo and Jonas Hiller both having subpar years.
The Leafs situation in goal is equally confused, as Bernier has failed to live up to the expectations following the trade from the Los Angeles Kings in June 2013 and with Reimer setting himself up for a big payday in free agency this summer.
TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated last week that Reimer’s impressive performance in limited games and a thin free agent goaltending market could result in enough leverage to get the 27-year-old a multi-year contract in the neighborhood of what Devan Dubnyk got from Minnesota last summer or the deal signed last week by Edmonton's Cam Talbot.
While the odds are slim that both Bernier and Reimer are moved before February 29, a trade of one of them could be the reason why veteran Ray Emery has been retained by the AHL Toronto Marlies in spite of Garret Sparks and Antoine Bibeau being back.
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Forward Nick Spaling has been activated after missing over a month with an upper body injury. The 27-year-old has four assists in 24 games and could return to the lineup in one of the Leafs games in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday. The club placed winger James van Riemsdyk on injured reserve to make room for Spaling.
It is expected that forward Josh Leivo will be returned to the AHL after the club returns from Florida, since the Leafs will be off for the NHL All-Star break. The Marlies play back-to-back road games against the Grand Rapids Griffins and face Binghamton on Saturday before pausing for the AHL All-Star break.
The 22-year-old Innisfil, ON was selected to the AHL North squad along with defenseman TJ Brennan and center William Nylander after scoring 11 goals and 19 assists in 35 games.
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