Leafs inject fire into lineup in deal with Flames
Maple Leafs president and general manager Brian Burke has long since become weary of what has been an agonizing season in Toronto that has seen the team plummet to the basement of the Eastern Conference.
On Sunday, Burke pulled the trigger on a seven-player deal in which the centrepiece was the acquisition of defenseman Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames. Also coming to Toronto are forward Fredrik Sjostrom and defenceman prospect Keith Aulie. Heading to Calgary are forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers and blueliner Ian White.
The common mantra when analyzing blockbuster trades is ‘the winner is the team that got the best player’. In this regard, the Leafs clearly have the early edge.
Phaneuf, 24, is just two years removed from a season in which he was nominated for a Norris Trophy and was also named a First Team All-Star. The Alberta native has had his fair share of struggles the past season-and-a-half, punctuated by his omission from the Canadian Olympic team. Nevertheless, Phaneuf ranks 12th among NHL rearguards in both hits and power-play time on ice.
His presence on the point, combined with his lethal slapshot, is expected to be an ailment to the Leafs power-play woes. “He won’t hesitate to shoot the puck,” said head coach Ron Wilson to the assembled media. The commented was likely not intended as a jab towards veteran Toronto power-play quarterback Tomas Kaberle who has a reputation for being loathe to take advantage of a shooting opportunity. Yet the validity of Wilson’s remark is not diminished.
Phaneuf appears to fit the mold of the aggressive, bruising style of hockey upon which Burke prefers to make his trademark. “He’s a big open ice hitter,” said the Leafs GM. “We’re adding an elite defenceman that plays our kind of hockey. This is a guy that likes it crude, and likes it black and blue, and that’s how we want to play. “
In Sjostrom, the Leafs acquire a fast-skating forward who can augment the team’s league-worst penalty kill. Aulie will be assigned to the AHL Marlies, and shows great mobility for his 6-foot-6 stature. His presence as one of the “Twin Towers” at the 2009 World Junior Tournament helped Canada win a gold medal, with his partner none other than current-day Calder Trophy favorite Tyler Myers of Buffalo.
Acquiring Phaneuf did not come cheaply for the Leafs. Hagman was the first player on the Leafs to reach the 20-goal mark this season and is on pace to eclipse his career mark of 27 tallies that he set as a member of the Dallas Stars. Stajan is on the way to establishing a career season in points, and has been one of the team’s most consistent performers during this season of futility. Arguably the team’s biggest loss in the trade is White, who has proven his durability over 127 consecutive games played after being a healthy scratch over the first eleven games of last season.
Burke has always vowed that Toronto will be a miserable place for opponents to play. So far the Leafs have just 9 wins on home ice, tied for fewest in the league.
Phaneuf’s presence on the blueline is the first step in making Air Canada Centre seem like Club Med, for the visitors.
Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca
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