At this point, everyone knows the stage the Leafs are at now. They're rebuilding and ready to sell their assets for prospects and draft picks as we get closer to the trade deadline on February 29th. Of these players, captain Dion Phaneuf was going to be the hardest to move without a doubt. Having underperformed in his first few years with the Leafs and carrying a hefty $7m cap hit, it would be a real challenge for the Leafs brass to move him.
However, on February 9th, 2016, GM Lou Lamoriello dropped a bombshell.
The Leafs announced that they traded Dion Phaneuf to the division rival Ottawa Senators in a nine player trade. I'm here to break down the detail and give you all some extra info on who they shipped out and acquired.
TO OTTAWA
Dion Phaneuf
Phaneuf has arguably taken more heat than any other player in the NHL since arriving in Toronto. Obviously being the captain of the largest media-surrounded franchise in the NHL is no walk in the park, and when he didn't produce the numbers he did in Calgary, the media and fans ate him alive. However, this season, after being coached by Mike Babcock, he found his game again and currently has 24 points in 51 games for the Buds. He will likely thrive in Ottawa with less pressure.
Matt Frattin
Losing Frattin frankly isn't that big of a deal for the Leafs. He has produced decent totals for the Marlies this season with 22 points in 47 games but has had trouble maintaining a spot on the NHL team. He will likely serve as a depth forward or call-up for the Sens.
Casey Bailey
Bailey was signed to a two year entry level contract by the Maple Leafs in March of 2015 and appeared in six games for them in 2014-15, scoring one goal. This season he started off in the AHL, and like Frattin has produced decent numbers with 18 points in 38 games for them. He likely would not have been called up pending injuries but can serve nicely as a depth player for the Senators.
Ryan Rupert
Rupert is another case similar to Bailey and Frattin. He has shifted back and forth between the AHL and the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears this season, and has played pretty well for the Marlies with 12 points in 29 games. He will more than likely continue to develop through the Senators' system in the minors.
Cody Donaghey
Donaghey went undrafted and was nabbed to an entry level contract prior to the start of the 2014-15 NHL season, and is producing pretty good numbers for the Moncton Wildcats with 11 points in 15 games. He is a pretty good prospect but likely did not have a future with the Leafs given their overwhelming prospect depth at LD.
TO TORONTO
Jared Cowen
Cowen is a very interesting case coming back to the Leafs. After being drafted ninth overall in 2009 by the Senators as a towering two way defenseman, he has failed to live up to expectations and only has 4 points in 37 games this season. However, a fresh start could be in order for the Saskatoon native and his game could be turned around after some games under Babcock.
Milan Michalek
A former NHL all star, Michalek is more or less a cap dump coming back to the Maple Leafs. He's not producing terrible numbers with 10 points in 32 games, but then again he carries a hefty cap of $4 million per season. His contract expires next year, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Colin Greening
A former reliable depth forward for the Sens, Greening has struggled to find his game as of late and has spent most of his time in the minors. With $2.6 million, he's yet another cap dump and could see some bottom six time with the Maple Leafs, but if not can serve as a solid AHL forward to boulster the Marlies' roster.
Tobias Lindberg
Lindberg was one of the prime targets of Lou Lamoriello, and primarily Mark Hunter in this trade. He's a hulking power forward, standing at 6'3 and 216lbs and played a key role with last year's memorial cup winning Oshawa Generals. He is currently producing numbers similar to those of Connor Brown's in his first AHL season with 22 points in 34 games. He will likely spend the rest of the season in the AHL and remain there for one more year next year before making the jump to the Buds.
2017 2nd Round Pick
Nothing can really be said here. The 2016 draft hasn't even passed yet. But hey, it's a draft pick. Can't get too many of those.
Thanks for reading.
No comments:
Post a Comment