Rick Nash to Maple Leafs trade means BIG cap hit

I realize many people want to include Nazem Kadri in a Nash trade, however as I believe Naz will outscore Nash over the next 5 years, I think that would be overpaying. If I am BB, I only want Nash if the Blue Jackets are looking to get out of the longterm commitment, and are willing to take back contracts that expire sooner than Rick's, plus prospects.

To the Blue Jackets:

Connolly, Komisarek, D'Amigo and Rynnas plus either Holzer or Lashoff

To the Maple Leafs:

Nash, Mason

This could be tweaked, but any thoughts of sending Gardiner away are crazy. Should someone offer Columbus a better deal, good for them, but Burke has built a solid foundation here (GO MARLIES!!!) and the top prospects need to be kept in the system. D'Amigo has decent potential, but as another American, the Leafs may not be the best place for him to develop.

Leafs free up room by placing Boyce and Rosehill on waivers

There's either a trade or callup happening by tomorrow as both Boyce and Rosehill have been placed on waivers and will be sent to Marlies if not claimed by noon Saturday. If it is a callup, will Colborne and Frattin get the nod?

Rosehill, the 26-year-old enforcer who signed a one-year deal with the Leafs in June worth $600,000, has been a scarcely used commodity this season. He has played in just 16 of the Leafs’ 61 games and been involved in just three fights according to the web site hockeyfights.com

Boyce, the 27-year-old left winger, has split time with the Leafs and Marlies this season. In his most recent six-game stint with the big club he was a point-less minus-4 in limited playing time.

Goalie Evgeni Nabokov of the New York Islanders and right winger Dustin Brown of the L.A. Kings are among the rumour mill’s favoured possibilities of NHL players that may be coming to Toronto.

Source: TheStar.com

Could Maple Leafs add Nash AND Carter?

It would be the biggest trade of the year: Rick Nash and Jeff Carter to Toronto for Tim Connolly, Mike Komisarek, Colby Armstrong, Korbinian Holzer, Jesse Blacker plus a 1st rounder and a 2nd rounder. Colborne gets callup to join Nash and Carter as three additions for Leafs playoff drive.

Some may see it as one-sided toward the Leafs, however the contracts they send to Columbus are a LOT shorter than the ones they are taking on, so the Blue Jackets will have plenty of room to sign their own RFAs in coming years and still play in the free agent market (while still getting the four youngsters they seek in Holzer, Blacker and two picks). Toronto is one of the few teams with the financial strength that would allow them to take on both Carter and Nash.

Nash names Toronto Maple Leafs as one of five teams he'll play for

According to Calgary Herald, Bruins, Kings, Rangers and Sharks also in mix

Rick Nash, so far the biggest name on the NHL rumour mill ahead of the Feb. 27 trade deadline, has given the Columbus Blue Jackets a list of five teams to which he'll OK a trade, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

According to the Dispatch, the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs "are believed to be on the approved list."

The paper also says the Jackets are seeking at least one young player on an NHL team's roster, as well as top prospects and draft picks.

Sharks net Moore

The San Jose Sharks added depth at the centre position Thursday night by acquiring Dominic Moore from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The deal sees the Lightning land a second-round pick while handing over a seventh-round pick to San Jose. The second-rounder originally belonged to the Minnesota Wild.

The well-travelled Moore, 31, has also played for the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Toronto, Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens.

In 56 games with Tampa this season, Moore had four goals and 15 assists.

Meanwhile, the Lightning plan to keep Pavel Kubina out of the lineup while attempting to trade the veteran defenceman. Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman announced the decision Thursday.

Tampa Bay entered Thursday 13th in the Eastern Conference and is a longshot to make the playoffs.

Kubina, 34, has 11 points and is plus-1 in 52 games this season.

NHL talk: Rick Nash for Kadri, Komi, Lombardi and Aulie

Ohio has a significant Islamic population and Nazem Kadri could be a crucial ambassador to the community, helping the Blue Jackets extend their reach. The Maple Leafs would likely have to add a draft pick, plus take another veteran from Columbus.

It makes no sense for Columbus to be paying Rick Nash $8 million per year for the next five years, when they have to now enter a rebuilding mode and are a small market team. Waiting until the trade deadline will be too late, if someone wants Nash, he should bid now and bid large. Got it, Bri?

NHL trade rumour: Rick Nash to Maple Leafs

With the Columbus Blue Jackets sinking in the standings and suffering perennial attendance woes, how long before GM Scott Howson begins the rebuild by shopping Rick Nash and his $8 million salary? Well, of the 4 teams at the bottom of the standings, Anaheim may be timid about dealing with Brian Burke again, and Carolina is unlikely to part with either Staal or Skinner, while the Islanders probably still feel they are in the race. This means that Columbus is the best trading partner for an upwardly mobile team like the Leafs, so let us think about what it will take to land Nash.

First, the Buds are close to the salary cap so will need to send at least 7 to 7.5 mil in salary to Columbus, though Leafs contracts will expire before Nash's, providing room for Columbus to re-sign prospects in coming years.

From Toronto:

Nazem Kadri

Jussi Rynnas

Matt Lombardi

Mike Komisarek

2013 1st Round Draft Pick

From Columbus:

Rick Nash

Comments, anyone?

Toronto Maple Leafs may be sellers again

Leafs top 40: Keepers, Bubble and Trade Bait

by Joe Trainor, 10DEC11

After the Maple Leafs traded Tomas Kaberle last year, the youth movement was in full swing and the Buds finished the season with a strong winning streak. Certain players that were part of that, including Matt Lashoff, Nazem Kadri, and Darryl Boyce, are currently with the Marlies, while Aulie has just recently re-joined the Leafs.

I posit that the team has not shown too many signs of being a serious Stanley Cup contender, and that the way to a sustained era of Cup-contending teams likely means being sellers again, in advance of and at the trade deadline. I am also suggesting that the Leafs can be sellers, get younger, improve their record and make the playoffs. If true, who should the Leafs regard as Keepers, who is On-the-Bubble, and who looks like valuable Trade Bait?

Toronto Maple Leafs Top 40 Players

Keepers

1. Kessel

2. Gardiner

3. Phaneuf

4. Schenn

5. Reimer

6. Aulie

7. Franson

8. Frattin

9. Colborne

10. Biggs

11. Scrivens

12. Owuya

13. Blacker

14. Sparks

15. Lupul (oldest keeper, could be available but at very high price eg. two first rounders and a 2nd rounder)

16. MacArthur

On-the-Bubble

17. Bozak (his value could be highest now having had 1st line duty)

18. Liles (hate to see him go, however for an offer like we got for Kaberle ...)

19. Kadri (hometown not always the best place to begin NHL career, plus he won't make leafs into Bruins...)

20. Armstrong (at 29 years old, deserves a shot at a Cup)

21. Gunnarsson

22. Steckel

23. Komisarek

24. Rosehill

25. Kulemin

26. Brown

27. Hamilton

28. Lashoff

29. Mueller

30. Crabb

Best Toronto Maple Leafs trade options:

31. Gustavsson - The oldest goalie in the system at 27, he's unlikely to get better and hasn't shown consistent playoff calibre stretches. Flashes of brilliance, sure, but the leakiness means it may be time to test the Leafs' netminding depth.

OR

32. Rynass - If not the Monster, then Jussi Rynass should be moved to get Mark Owuya back in the AHL. He led the Swedish Elite League in save percentage last year and is the second ranked goalie in the AHL right now. He has little to learn playing for Reading of the ECHL.

33. Connolly - Anything close to what we got for Kabs would see Connolly shipped out, however we'd be best to try him on the top line first, just in case it actually did make sense to bring him here, and to showcase him for buyers. We could trade one of Connolly or Grabovski, but not both.

OR

34. Grabovski - He is the Leafs best center and as he is a free agent at the end of the year, Burke should try and sign him now. I would prefer to see Grabo re-signed than traded, as Bozak doesn't score and Kessel is one of the best passers in the league. Mikhail could easily slide into the top line if Connolly is moved, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Leafs start the playoffs with a top line of Lupul-Grabovski-Kessel even if Tim C is still with Toronto. If he won't re-sign, his 3-month rental should bring the Leafs a young NHL player plus a pick or prospect, and we can still bid on him in the offseason.

35. Boyce - The Leafs have a winning record with Boyce in the lineup, but at 27 the PEI native is languishing in the AHL and looks to have little future with the big club. Darryl could benefit from a move to a team like the Canucks that needs more grit to protect the Sedins.

Other names the Leafs may move:

36. Orr

37. Lombardi

38. Dupuis

39. Zigomanis

40. Gysbers

I see no reason why the Leafs can't get younger and better, at least this year, building assets that can be spun for final pieces during next two to three years of building consistent playoff team. Having written that, if Rynass and Kadri were the price for Zach Parise, I'd be happy with that as long as Parise was signed to a two year extension as a condition of trade.

It all depends on what's on the table, and with Burke being the sharp tack that he is, listening to offers for Leafs up for grabs may reveal some opportunities that can take Toronto to the next level, without mortgaging the future.

5 Best Moves made by Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke

These five trades brought the Toronto Maple Leafs Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, John Michael Liles, Joe Colborne, Tyler Biggs, Cody Franson, Matt Lombardi and Keith Aulie. Has any other NHL General Manager come even close to this bounty over the past three years?

1. Beauchemin for Gardiner and Lupul - I would have loved getting Gardiner straight up for Beauch as knew him from USA juniors, and at the time the extra "cost" to obtain Jake G was being willing to take on Lupul's contract. Aaaaahhh, well, ya okay, I think we can do that.

2. Kaberle for Joe Colborne and two draft picks (one used as main bait to move up for Biggs, the other traded straight up for Liles) - Boston got a Cup, and Burke and Leafs fans owe Kaberle big time, for his foresight in choosing the team that could afford him and that he could help win the Stanley Cup. Mats Sundin may have done something similar in his waning years, yet he probably loved the City of Toronto more than the team (he also did not get to work with a GM of Burke's calibre and influence).

3. Two 1st rounders for Phil Kessel - Most feel the Leafs lost or broke even on this one but if you look at the "team" Burke inherited when he arrived, he really did need to bring in a top level player to begin building a team around. The price (Tyler Seguin, Jared Knight and Doug Hamilton) turned out to be very high, however as the Leafs are now the youngest team in the NHL and Kessel is among the best goal scorers on the planet, this trade is smelling sweeter as time goes by. He's two years younger than Ovechkin and two months younger than Crosby, and Canada better watch out for him (and Jake Gardiner) at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

4. Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie - The Leafs have a strong winning record whenever Dion is in the lineup (ditto for Aulie), and he is the best Leafs captain since Dougie Gilmour. I would trade those four players for Dion straight up, so whatever becomes of Keith "Muhammad" Aulie, this was a move that had to be done.

5. Brett Lebda and Robert Slaney for Cody Franson and Matthew Lombardi - I understand that having a deep-pocketed team helps with straight salary dump deals, however in this case we got to dump salary also. If Nashville's recent woes worsen, GM David Poile could be on the hot seat, but goalie Pekka Rinne (.925, 2.47, 10 wins) has proved worthy of the dollars freed up.

5B. Not trading Franson in early 2011-2012, despite numerous offers.

5C. Getting Liles for a 2nd rounder (compare to price Boston paid for Kaberle 3-month rental).

Resurgent Monster means Jussi Rynnas on the bubble

Props to both Burke and Wilson for sticking with Gustavsson when it seemed like he'd never recover the form he had before going down twice with the heart ailment in 2010-2011. Over the past few games we may have been witnessing a newly confident, far more experienced Monster, one who may actually challenge Reimer for Leafs' net supremacy.

Scrivens can lead the Marlies to the AHL's Calder Cup championship, where Owuya can solidly back him up. Sending Rynnas to the ECHL would just devalue him, so look for Jussi to be traded within 10 days, for a big forward prospect or a 3rd round draft pick.

Toronto Maple Leafs #1 overall in NHL

Deep Leafs squad, sharp Scrivens debut too much for Columbus

While Jonas Gustavsson was not able to ignite a goaltending controversy while filling in for James Reimer, there may soon be a battle brewing for the backup position. With Ben Scrivens throwing down a stellar debut in a 4-1 win over Columbus Blue Jackets, it seems to be getting clearer by the day that the best pair of goalies the Leafs have right now includes a guy with the first name Ben. It's not to say that Scrivens won't go back to the Marlies and continue his winning ways there, however when one looks to Spring and the NHL playoffs, you want to begin with two guys that are each a number one. The Monster has shown flashes of brilliance, and at age 27 may be just finding his stride, but with Reimer at 23 and Scrivens now 25, either Gustavsson or Rynas will likely be gone by the trade deadline.

There's also no rush to trade Cody Franson, as we don't really know yet what we need back. If a crazy offer came in Burke would likely take it, but another month of wear and tear will give us a better idea of what's required to go beyond my pre-season expectation of making it into the 2nd round of the playoffs. The penalty kill is the most glaring deficiency, yet there are still options within the team that may figure it out, together with the new assistant coaches. A fair bit of the recent troubles were due to a feeble box out that didn't pressure the puck, misreading the positions of opposition forwards and, hate to say it, erratic netminding by the Monster.

Biggest pleasant surprises of the year so far for Leafs:

Jake Gardiner - I wanted him to challenge for quarterback of the power play at camp, as I felt he could be as good as Liles and would be too skilled for the AHL. In fact, he has exceeded my expectations, so let me ask: Would you trade him for PK Subhan? You have to think about it now, whereas a few months ago you wouldn't even ask the question. He'll be playing for Burke and Team USA at the 2014 Olympics.

Joffrey Lupul - Kessel is an amazing passer, but Lupul has also scored a lot of goals through hustle and sharp play.

Kessel - I wanted him to watch Mike Bossy vids during the Summer; looks like whatever he did, his progress as top level NHL sniper continues, and he's been outscoring Ovechkin for over half a year now.

Phaneuf - From the first game after the Kaberle trade, the defence and the team belong to Dion, and he leads by example. Say no more.

With MacArthur, Crabb, Connolly and Grabovski all contributing offensively, and players such as Colbourne, Kadri, Frattin and Boyce on the Marlies, the Maple Leafs are stocked from the nets out. If Colbourne is going to come up to the Leafs this year, then a package of players could be moved for a strong college player, a top AHL prospect that can finish the year with the Marlies, and possibly a draft pick.

The ShanahaNHL is a fast-paced league with little room for cheap shots, and young teams such as Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa are striving ahead of the pack. We need to stay youthful and fast, rolling four lines over the boards with speed and passion.

Here is the list of Toronto Maple Leafs that I believe may be traded in coming months (first posted last week):

Darryl Boyce
Jussi Rynnas
Nazem Kadri
Cody Franson
Rosehill or Orr, not both
Korbinian Holzer
Mike Zigomanis
Marcel Mueller
Brayden Irwin
Simon Gysbers
Juraj Mikus


Here is my updated and expanded list as of tonight, with the Leafs in first place overall in the National Hockey League:

Darryl Boyce
Cody Franson
Korbinian Holzer
Jonas Gustavsson or Jussi Rynnas, not both
Nazem Kadri
Rosehill or Orr, not both
Josh Engel
Mike Zigomanis
Marcel Mueller
Brayden Irwin
Simon Gysbers
Juraj Mikus
Will Acton


What's your offer?

Maple Leafs exceeding even my expectations

In early Summer 2011 I hoped that Jake Gardiner would go into Leafs training camp with the mindset that he was going to be the quarterback of the power play. Why did I want this? Everyone seemed to be giving the job to Liles uncontested, whereas I had been watching Gardiner develop on the USA junior team and he looked like a solid bet for the NHL.

I also hoped that Phil Kessel would watch video of Mike Bossy, and of Phil Kessel when hot, and hit the ice demanding and expecting big things from himself. He has developed into a premier passer over the past couple of seasons, Joffrey Lupul being the prime beneficiary, yet his sniping ability is so dominating that his assists pile up unnoticed.

My big concern was the position of backup goalie, and up until, well, yesterday against Pittsburgh, I was wholly unconviced that Gustavsson could be a reliable backup. In last night's game he played like a lad named James Reimer, and with Scrivens and Rynnas backstopping the first place Marlies in the AHL, the Buds are super-deep in the nets right now.

My hope was and is for the Maple Leafs to be contending for first in their division on January 1st, and be in the top four or five in the conference, and also to advance to the second round of the Stanley cup playoffs. They are noble goals for a young team, and we are definitely pointed in the right direction.

The fact that we are winning does not mean there won't be a trade, because Burke's phone is likely ringing with offers daily. The key will be to make a move that can add to the 23-man roster without detracting in any way from the success and momentum established so far.

So, who could be traded? Daryl Boyce is a proven NHLer with a winning record in the big leagues, and right now he's languishing on a 3rd line in the AHL, so he could be headed to Anaheim or Vancouver. Korbinian Holzer is likely ranked behind Aulie, Lashoff and Blacker, so could be moved as part of a package.

Two more controversial names would be Kadri and Franson. Beginning an NHL career in one's hometown can be tough, and I'm not convinced Burke sees Nazem Kadri as more than a top nine forward, and perhaps not quite nasty or hungry enough. Franson will likely be given another chance to contribute to wins, showcase his talents and increase the price should he be moved. It is too early to give up on such a talented young player, unless a sensational offer came in for him.

I am hoping Colbourne, Crabb, Aulie, Lashoff and Scrivens will be kept on the Marlies as insurance for the Leafs this year, and core building blocks for the next few years as contracts expire. I also think Mike Brown has earned the tough guy role over Rosehill and Orr.


Hockey players in Leafs system that could be traded

Here are names we could see being traded by the Leafs, but only if Burke thought he was receiving value that will help the Leafs now or in the future, without diminishing the Leafs or, to a lesser extent, the Marlies, hopes for this year:

Daryl Boyce
Jussi Rynnas
Nazem Kadri
Cody Franson
Rosehill or Orr, not both
Korbinian Holzer
Mike Zigomanis
Marcel Mueller
Brayden Irwin
Simon Gysbers
Juraj Mikus


Ideally Burke will move one player from the bottom five of the 23-man and package him with two mid-level Marlies, getting in return a top six scorer/playmaker, or a physical top nine winger/scorer. If he has to add in a 2nd round pick to get the right guy, Leafs fans have learned to trust that Brian's choice will far more often than not turn out to be a sound decision.