The Toronto Maple Leafs organizational transition under Team President Brendan Shanahan, GM Lou Lamorielllo and Assistant GM Kyle Dubas took another small step with the trade of winger Richard Panik to the Chicago Blackhawks for winger Jeremy Morin last weekend.
Panik was claimed off of waivers from Tampa Bay in October 2014 and scored 11 goals last season, but failed to impress Mike Babcock during training camp and was moved to the Hawks to give them a forward with NHL experience to provide veteran depth.
While it is unclear whether the 24-year-old Morin will get an opportunity to play for the Leafs this season or was acquired as a veteran support player for the AHL Toronto Marlies, the minor deal represents another part of the Brian Burke/Dave Nonis era Maple Leafs that has either been used as an asset to bring in players they want or that have been moved out to make room for their prospects.
Since Nonis was dismissed last April, the new management team has moved, waived or not offered deals to 25 players who were under contract at the end of the 2014-15 season.
Panik, Phil Kessel, David Booth, Eric Brewer, Zach Sill, Joakim Lindstrom, Trevor Smith, Brandon Kozun, Tim Erixon and Colton Orr are gone from the NHL roster, former draft choices Andrew MacWilliam (2008), Jamie Devane and Eric Knodel(2009), Brad Ross, Greg McKegg and Petter Granberg (2010), Tyler Biggs and Tom Nilsson (2011), Matt Finn (2012) and Carter Verhaeghe (2013) and farmhands Brendan Mikkelson, Troy Bodie, Kevin Marshall, Fraser McLaren and Christopher Gibson are also gone.
The Leafs have only first rounder Nazem Kadri left in the organization from the 2009 Draft, fifth round pick Sam Carrick from 2010, Stuart Percy, Josh Leivo, Garret Sparks and NCAA product Tony Cameranesi from 2011, Morgan Rielly, UMD forward Dominic Toninato, Connor Brown, Ryan Rupert and Viktor Loov from 2012 and Frederik Gauthier, Swiss forward Fabrice Herzog, goalie Antoine Bibeau and speedy SHL forward Andreas Johnson from 2013.
Rielly is considered a potential top pairing defenseman and franchise cornerstone, Brown led all AHL rookies in scoring last season, Johnson has impressive offensive totals in Sweden and will be heading to North America next season and defensive prospect Loov has shown promise in his second season with the Marlies.
The turnover of the Toronto depth chart is likely to continue over the next 12 to 18 months as the current management team puts more of their personal stamp on the organization.
The future of Kadri is uncertain based on his luke warm offensive numbers and contract status, while Leivo(in the top 20 of AHL scoring), Percy and Gauthier (former first rounders) may be attractive commodities that other teams will want in perspective trades.
That does not mean that every player selected by past administrations will be on the trading block, but Shanahan, Lamoriello, Dubas and Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter are more likely to move players they did not select than ones they did.
For example, Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch reported on Sunday that seven clubs (including Toronto) have expressed interest in 21-year-old winger Kerby Rychel, the Jackets 2013 first rounder selected two picks ahead of Gauthier.
Like Tampa first rounder Jonathan Drouin, Rychel has been frustrated with his lack of opportunity in Columbus (16 NHL games in the last two seasons) and has asked for a trade, but Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen has not budged and the big forward is currently playing with the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL.
The son of former NHLer and Windsor Spitfires GM Warren Rychel would provide much needed size and sandpaper to a group of Leafs prospects that are short on both, but the cost to acquire him could be steep.
Columbus is likely looking to upgrade their defensive corps, which has long been their Achilles heel and might want someone like Percy, who impressed in a nine game stint with the Leafs last season and has been a solid defender with the Marlies this season.
The lead story for most of the next two months will be how many players on the NHL roster will be moved prior to the trade deadline, but it will interesting to see how many more players inherited by Shanahan, Lamoriello and Dubas find their way to other NHL clubs.
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Leafs prospect Kasperi Kapanen scoring the Gold Medal winning goal for Finland in their 4-3 overtime win over Russia on Tuesday.
Getting the impression that Kasperi Kapanen is quite happy. #WJC2016 #Leafs #Marlies #Suomi #Finland pic.twitter.com/2aaOAWLEfX
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) January 5, 2016#u20fi #WorldJuniors #WJC2016 pic.twitter.com/vd2iCxYamS
— Tatu Virtanen (@VirtanenTatu) January 5, 2016*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
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