The Toronto Maple Leafs appear poised to make some consequential changes to their roster and are waiting (along with the other teams not involved in the Stanley Cup Final) for the season to end and to begin what is expected to be a very busy summer.
“There have definitely been more(trade) calls in the past week,… Leafs GM Dave Nonis indicated to the Toronto Sun’s Mike Zeisberger from New York City, where he and the league’s other GM’s will be meeting on Wednesday. “No matter how many times you’ve talked on the phone, face time with your colleagues always seems to speed things up.…
Toronto is expected to be one of the clubs more open to significant deals this summer, in the wake of missing the playoffs due to a late season collapse, a general feeling of discontent with the composition of their roster and the retention of head coach Randy Carlyle.
Nonis reiterated that the changes to come have to make sense for Toronto, who are still one of the youngest teams in the NHL. While the Leafs are willing to move young players like Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner, Cody Franson and James Reimer, they are looking to acquire players of comparable age and talent.
There appears to be a desire to add players who can provide leadership and experience, but veterans like Stephane Robidas, Dan Boyle or Brooks Orpik can be had via free agency on short term deals, rather than trading assets for veterans currently under contract with other teams.
A continuing focus of the Leafs is to potentially move up from the 8th draft slot at the NHL Draft in Philadelphia just over two weeks from now to select one of the top prospects.
According to Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Harvey Fialkov , three teams (including the Maple Leafs) have expressed a desire to trade for the Panthers top pick and Florida GM Dale Tallon mentioned on Tuesday to have received one “fair offer… for the first pick.
Rumors continue to swirl that Leafs team captain Dion Phaneuf may be moved before his new contract kicks in on July 1 and a trade to the rebuilding Panthers for their top pick has been mentioned. It is uncertain whether Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad is the focus of the Leafs desires (which would make sense if trading Phaneuf to move up).
Reports last week stated that the Leafs requested an interview with one of the top draft prospects near the end of the recent NHL Scouting Combine, which is an indicator that they see a pathway to moving up to the top of the draft.
The 18-year-old blueliner has impressed many with his maturity and would likely step into the NHL wherever he is selected next season. If Toronto is targeting one of the top three centers(Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart or Leon Draisaitl), they may find interest in Phaneuf from his hometown Edmonton Oilers(who select third overall) or the Calgary Flames(who select fourth).
A Phaneuf deal involving moving up into the top of the first round makes the most sense in the scenario of making an impact move and changing the leadership group of the Maple Leafs, which has disappointed the last three seasons. Edmonton and Florida are looking to upgrade their bluelines immediately and the prospect of adding a 29-year-old top pairing defenseman locked up for seven years would be viewed as a coup, while both teams have pieces(top draft picks or young NHL players) who would intrigue the Leafs in a deal.
*******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.*******
For Those on Twitter: Follow @mikeinbuffalo
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.