UPDATE: 4:30pm - Toronto moved defenseman Korbinian Holzer just prior to the 3pm trade deadline for veteran blueliner Eric Brewer and a 2015 5th round pick.
UPDATE: 2:30pm - The Leafs have swapped forward Olli Jokinen to the St Louis Blues for veteran journeyman forward Joakim Lindstrom and conditional sixth round pick, that could go up to a 4th round pick if the Blues reach the Stanley Cup Final and he plays.
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UPDATE: 9:30am - UFA defenseman Jeff Petry moved to Montreal for two draft picks. Petry was reportedly an option for the Red Wings to bolster their blueline. Other than the injured Zbenyk Michalek, the defensive market is fairly thin, which could increase Toronto's leverage to get a better deal for Phaneuf if Detroit is interested.
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Will the Toronto Maple Leafs be busy on NHL Trade Deadline Day or have they already made their big moves and will wait till the summer to begin the gutting of the core group of their roster?
The only moves that are highly probable are pending UFA’s David Booth and Olli Jokinen being sent to contenders looking for veteran forward depth, but the odds of trading Korbinian Holzer are slim after the defenseman suffered a concussion in the Leafs second straight 4-0 shutout loss of the weekend to the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.
Speculation is heavy that the Maple Leafs are looking to move team captain Dion Phaneuf prior to 3pm, but that a deal would entail Toronto retaining a portion of Phaneuf’s $7 Million contract for the six remaining years.
Leafs GM Dave Nonis has up to this point rejected any suggestion of retaining salary and may wait until the summer to deal Phaneuf, who could attract more suitors with club’s lessening cap concerns, but the fact that most of the rent-a-player free agent blueliners have moved puts Nonis in a better position to move the team captain for a good return and not keep any salary.
The Eastern Conference landscape has changed in the last 24 hours, as veteran defensemen Keith Yandle was acquired by the New York Rangers and Braydon Coburn was moved overnight to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 1st, 3rd and injured defenseman Radko Gudas, which may put teams like Detroit in the position of countering those moves by adding Phaneuf.
Other than Buffalo forward Chris Stewart, the impact rent-a-player forwards have been moved, which could be good news for Toronto, who are reportedly shopping Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak.
I will providing updates throughout the day and will be part of Hockeybuzz.com’s Trade Deadline coverage starting at 11am.
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