Why Toronto lost the Dion Phaneuf trade

When news broke that Dion Phaneuf would finally be leaving Toronto, the general response from Leaf fans was positive. However in the process of getting rid of Phaneuf, the Leafs lost a top-two defenceman, and walked away from the deal with very little. This article will look at why sending Dion Phaneuf to Ottawa may not have been as good as it seems, how the trade could affect the Leafs.

Last season, Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf were Toronto's two biggest commodities. Skip ahead to this year, and neither are left on the team. When Mike Babcock came to Toronto, he said there would be changes, but now with both players gone, what did the Leafs really get back?

When Toronto sent Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh on July 1, the Leafs got a great return, and the future looked optimistic. Toronto received former first-round pick Kasperi Kapanen, as well as a first-round pick in the upcoming NHL draft. The return was perfect for a rebuilding team, but nonetheless, Toronto was immediately weakened by the loss of their leading scorer.      


This left a hole as to who Toronto would be sending away at the trade deadline in February, and the focus was shifted to Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf has been a top-two defenceman for the Leafs since joining the team in 2010, and despite ridicule from fans and not living up to his hype, he has still put up impressive numbers. The return for Phaneuf however, looks disappointing.

For sending away one of your most valued players, you'd expect to get a top prospect or at least a first-round pick in return, right? Apparently Leafs' management disagreed. In return for Phaneuf, the Leafs received Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, Milan Michalek, Tobias Lindberg, and a second round pick in 2017. Simply put, the Leafs got a former highly touted defenceman who never worked out, in Cowen, a forward who will never make a top six spot, in Greening, and a man who's farther past his prime than Adam Sandler, in Michalek. 

Jared Cowen was drafted by Ottawa 9th overall in 2009, and after winning a Memorial Cup in Spokane, Cowen looked to have a bright career ahead of him. Since then, he's stuck out like a sore thumb on Ottawa's defence core, becoming the perfect mix of unproductive and unreliable. 

Colin Greening has 13 points in 41 games in the AHL. If Toronto wanted to bring up mediocre talent from the minors to try and fill voids on their NHL roster, they have players like Frederik Gauthier waiting- they didn't need to trade for another one. 

Since having a career year in 2011-12, Michalek has struggled with Ottawa, posting 10 points in 32 games this season. Michalek's play is only deteriorating, and he's less than ideal for a young, rebuilding Leafs team. 

The two pieces to this deal that are somewhat hopeful for Toronto are Tobias Lindberg and the 2nd round pick. Lindberg had 78 points in 67 games with Oshawa last season, and has been productive with Binghamton in his first AHL season. Drafted in the 4th round of the 2013 NHL draft, Lindberg shows promise, and may end up on the Leafs within the next couple years. The second round pick is another chance for the Leafs to try and grab young talent, but keep in mind that Toronto hasn't had a second round pick play more than one game with the team since Nikolia Kulemin who was drafted way back in 2006. 

Another problem in this deal is the cap space. Initially moving $7M out of your cap space looks great. However Toronto has actually gained back that cap space and more with the three players they acquired from Ottawa. Jared Cowen is signed for two more years at $3.1M per season and will then become a restricted free agent, Michalek has two years left on his contract with a $4M cap hit, bringing the total right back up to $7.1M. This isn't even counting if Colin Greening is brought up to the NHL, which would take an additional $2.7M out of Toronto's cap space. Since Phaneuf was the only player on the Leafs' main roster traded, they won't gain any more cap space. It's easy to think that Michalek will be dealt fairly quickly to free up $4M of cap space, but as of now, Toronto will have no more space than when they began.

Yes, Phaneuf was overpaid, and his contract seemed impossible to move, so in one way the deal woks out in Toronto's favour. But at the same time, the truth is Toronto just gave up one of their best defenceman for almost nothing. The trade will help the Leafs in their rebuilding process by eventually freeing up space, but unless they're able to free it before the summer, they won't have any more room to go after a big name in free agency. But hey, Jared Cowen's 4 points in 37 games will surely help the struggling Leafs. 

Read more »

Six Young Goalies Who Could Become Franchise Players in the NHL

Every year in the NHL new goalies emerge and veterans lose their spot in the crease. With all the goalies coming out of junior each year, only a few ever make it past the AHL. However every once in a while, one goalie will enter the big leagues and make an immediate splash. Here are six young goalies who have the potential to become leaders in their organization.

Petr Mrazek- Detroit Red Wings

Petr Mrazek first caught the eye of the hockey world in the 2012 World Junior Championship, when he outlasted the heavily favoured American team, and celebrated in ridiculous fashion. Since then, Mrazek has won a Calder Cup with Detroit's AHL affiliate, Grand Rapids, and ended up as the Red Wings' playoff starter in the 2015 NHL playoffs. In 73 total NHL games, Mrazek holds an impressive .926 save percentage, and a 2.14 goals-against average (GAA). Since entering the league, Mrazek is still getting more and more playing time, slowly taking the starter role away from Jimmy Howard. With Howard locked up for four years and Mrazek becoming a restricted free agent this summer, the Wings will have to make a choice on which goalie to ride with in the coming years. That being said, if Mrazek can keep up his strong play, Howard could find himself on the trading block sooner rather than later.


Matt Murray- Pittsburgh Penguins

Matt Murray is one of the unlucky goaltenders in the AHL, who is playing in an organization that already has a franchise goaltender, in Marc-Andre Fleury. Murray was drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft, but was never really expected to become an NHL starter. However after a superb final season in the OHL with Sault Ste. Marie, where he finished second in the league in wins, Murray became an AHL starter with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2014. Murray posted an incredible .940 save percentage in 40 games with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in his first year in the minors, and is on a similar track this year with a .933 save percentage. Murray was finally called up to play for Pittsburgh this season, and in a four game stint with the team he held a .938 save percentage and a 1.72 GAA. With Jeff Zatkoff's contract expiring at the end of the season, Murray is a lock to take over the backup role in Pittsburgh.


John Gibson- Anaheim Ducks

It came as a bit of a surprise when the Ducks started John Gibson in the AHL for the beginning of the 2015/16 season, taking Anton Khudobin as their backup goalie over Gibson. However after Anaheim's brutal start to the year, Gibson was called up after neither Khudobin, nor starter Frederik Andersen could manage to find consistency in their play. Since coming to the struggling Ducks, Gibson has posted a league-best 1.91 GAA, and has helped to turn Anaheim's season around. Gibson was rewarded for his play with a trip to the NHL All-Star Game, where he (and John Scott of course), took home the tournament championship for the Pacific Division. Gibson is signed until 2019, and it looks as though the 22 year-old has a bright future in California.


Juuse Saros- Nashville Predators

Juuse Saros is the wildcard of this list. Coming out of Finland and ending up as a mid-fourth round draft pick in 2013, Saros landed in Nashville, where Pekka Rinne has owned the crease for the last 8 years. Saros is in a similar spot as Murray, playing under a prime NHL starter, but has also proven he can play at a high level. In 2014, Saros was one of the main reasons that Finland captured gold in the WJC, knocking off Canada in the semi-finals, and posting a .943 save percentage and a 1.57 GAA at the tournament. Saros has moved up to the AHL this year, and has a 15-5 record with the Milwaukee Admirals. After losing his only NHL start in late November, Saros will hope to rebound in the fuuture and prove himself as an NHL goaltender.

Andrei Vasilevskiy- Tampa Bay Lightning

Drafted 19th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2012, Andrei Vasilevskiy joined the short list of goalies drafted in the first round within the past decade. As a prospect, Vasilevskiy appeared in three consecutive World Junior Championships from 2012-2014, capturing a medal in each appearance. Since then, Vasilevskiy has been splitting time between the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL and the Lightning, even playing in parts of 4 NHL playoff games, and starting a game in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, Vasilevskiy's problem seems to be getting comfortable in the NHL. In the AHL he's put up impressive stats with a .932 save percentage this year, but has been struggling in the past two seasons to earn his spot with Tampa Bay, and can't find NHL consistency. On the flip side, at 6'3" Vasilevskiy is just 21 years old, and with a goalie like Ben Bishop as his mentor, he could turn out to be a top NHL talent.


Calvin Pickard- Colorado Avalanche

Calvin Pickard is one of the many goaltenders who came out of the CHL as a highly touted prospect, but hasn't been able to maintain a spot on an NHL roster since. Pickard has spent the majority of his last four seasons in the AHL, putting up solid numbers in his time. Last season, Pickard looked as though he was finally getting his big break, when he posted a .932 save percentage in 16 games with Colorado. This season, however, he's been very inconsistent in Colorado, with a 2.89 GAA and a mediocre .910 save percentage. Pickard has shown both brilliance and blunder, both shutting out New Jersey, and being lit up for 6 goals against San Jose in January. With both Semyon Varlamov and Reto Berra holding their own in Colorado, Pickard will need to put together consistent play while splitting time between the NHL and AHL to earn his spot with the Avalanche.

Read more »