With the completion of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the trade market undoubtedly will begin to ramp up in advance of next week’s NHL Draft.
In spite of numerous statements from Brendan Shanahan and new head coach Mike Babcock that the Maple Leafs would have to go through a painful rebuilding process, there are some who still believe that they will not move core pieces like team captain Dion Phaneuf this summer.
Since Shanahan took over control of the Leafs in April 2014, he has thoroughly cleaned out every aspect of the organization except the roster and a failure to move Phaneuf and/or winger Phil Kessel would make it impossible for the club to begin moving past the failures of the Brian Burke era and be bad enough to be positioned to select a top prospect in the 2016 and 2017 Draft.
Phaneuf is respected as a talented defenseman and is thought of more positively outside of Calgary and Toronto, which bodes well for the Leafs getting good value for the 30-year-old in a league where quality blueliners being on the market are a rare commodity.
The $7 Million price tag for the next six years mitigates how much Toronto can get back in return in a potential deal unless they take back significant salary to balance the financial considerations out, but the return for Phaneuf could be similar to what they get for Kessel(an NHL player, prospect and/or draft pick, along with a bad contract).
Here are the teams that make the most sense for the Leafs team captain to be moved to:
(Note: The “Potential Deal… listed after each team is what could be possible to get in return for Phaneuf and is purely speculative)
Detroit - The Leafs opted not to make a deal involving Phaneuf at the trade deadline with the Red Wings because they felt that defenseman Brendan Smith and 23-year-old AHL scorer Teemu Pulkkinen was not enough young assets to take back the three remaining years of Stephen Weiss’s deal($14.7 Million).
Toronto and Detroit may look to revisit this deal before July 1, so that the Red Wings can avoid having to delve into the costly defensive free agent market for the likes of Mike Green and Cody Franson and having a buyout of Weiss impact their cap the next six seasons.
Potential Deal – Weiss, Brendan Smith and a first round pick or prospect(Anthony Mantha) for Phaneuf.
Colorado
The Avs blueline has long been their Achilles heel and they are likely to make moves this summer to remedy that. Free agency is an option, but based on the price tag of the recently signed Jeff Petry in Montreal, top blueliners like Andrej Sekera, Green and Franson will all make more than $5 Million on a long term deal and are not as good as Phaneuf.
Colorado has former first overall pick Erik Johnson under contract for one more year before becoming an unrestricted free agent and young blueliner Tyson Barrie will be in line for a big raise next summer, so the addition of Phaneuf could provide depth this season and a guaranteed presence long term.
The conventional structure of a deal involving Phaneuf may be altered with the possibility of acquiring Ryan O’Reilly, who is 24 years old and may be considered a foundation piece of the Shanahan/Babcock Leafs.
Potential Deal - O’Reilly(UFA in 2015-16) for Phaneuf.
Anaheim
The Ducks looked to acquire an experienced blueliner at the trade deadline last March and added James Wisniewski from Columbus, but the move did not pay off, as the veteran defenseman did not crack coach Bruce Boudreau’s lineup in any of the club’s 16 playoff games.
Anaheim has an organization deep in young prospects and could take on Phaneuf’s hefty salary now that Sheldon Souray and Francois Beauchemin are off the books.
Potential Deal – Wisniewski, Emerson Etem(RFA)and a first round pick or prospect(Nick Ritchie)for Phaneuf.
Carolina
The Hurricanes are similar to the Leafs in that they are in rebuild mode, but unlike Toronto have a core group (Eric & Jordan Staal, Justin Faulk and Elias Lindholm) that they want to build around. GM Ron Francis would love to find someone to take the last three years of Alex Semin’s contract off his hands and the $21 Million left on his deal is the same as Phaneuf’s cap hit.
Carolina desperately needs to add to their blueline. Faulk is one of the best young defensemen in the NHL, but after him are the defensively suspect Ryan Murphy and veterans Ron Hainsey and John-Michael Liles. 2014 top pick Haydn Fleury is turning 19 and likely headed back to the WHL.
Potential Deal – Semin and Carolina’s first(5th overall) for Phaneuf and Nashville’s first(24th overall).
Dallas
Dallas GM Jim Nill has not been shy in making big deals, acquiring Tyler Seguin from Boston and adding Jason Spezza from Ottawa last summer. The Stars unearthed a gem in 22-year-old defenseman John Klingberg, who scored 40 points in his rookie season and signed a seven-year contract extension, but need to add more to the group that includes Trevor Daley, Alex Goligoski and Jason Demers.
Nill could be looking to dispose of the remaining two years of Ales Hemsky’s deal, as the free agent scored just 11 goals last season.
Potential Deal – Hemsky, Antoine Roussel and a first round pick or prospect(Julius Honka) for Phaneuf.
Edmonton
Would Dion go home with the prospect of the Oilers returning to glory with Connor McDavid??
Phaneuf is the type of the defenseman that Edmonton needs to add, a veteran who can play both special teams and eat minutes, who could allow youngsters like Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom to gain experience in a lesser role.
The Oilers have their core group(Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle)locked up on long term deals, they have plenty of young assets, GM Peter Chiarelli is not shy about making bold moves and with the addition of McDavid, Edmonton has an embarrassment of riches up the middle with RNH and 2014 third overall pick Leon Draisaitl.
Trading for a veteran like Phaneuf makes more sense for Edmonton going the offer sheet route on Dougie Hamilton(which the Bruins will match)and Chiarelli was not concerned about where a prospect was picked and a difference in age when he swapped Tyler Seguin for Loui Eriksson, so anything is possible.
Potential Deal – Draisaitl for Phaneuf and Nashville’s first(24th overall)
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