‘Sense of entitlement’ is over – Burke

About a half-hour following the announcement of the Leafs acquisition of Dion Phaneuf, Leafs general manager delivered news of a second transaction on Sunday.

Goaltender J.S. Giguere, with whom Burke won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim in 2007, is now a Maple Leaf, with netminder Vesa Toskala and forward Jason Blake heading to the Ducks.

By coming to Toronto Giguere, a Conn Smythe Trophy winner seven years ago, is reunited with not only Burke but also his mentor, goaltending coach Francois Allaire.

“Allaire was instrumental in turning Giguere into a top-flight goaltender in the National Hockey League,” said Burke. “I’ve never had a goalie that worked this hard. He takes every scoring chance in practice as a personal challenge. “

While Giguere’s goals-against average (3.14) and save percentage (.900) do not place him among the league’s elite backstops, both numbers are still superior to Toskala’s. With over nine full seasons of NHL experience, Giguere serves as an ideal tutor to young netminder Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson.

The deal makes economic sense for both teams. Anaheim’s contract extension for Jonas Hiller solidifies the Swiss goalie’s role as the team’s starter. For Toronto removing Blake’s contract is a relief of a huge financial burden. The winger’s 50 goals in 206 career games were certainly below the standard expected of him when he signed a $20-million five-year contract in 2007.

“We’re saving a bit of money this year,” concluded Burke after both of Sunday’s transactions were made official.

Giguere looks forward to the reunion with his old coach. “I’m excited to be working with (Allaire) again,” he told reporters. “He’s taught me how to work, and what it’s like to be an NHL goalie. He gave me a great foundation. Everything that I do on the ice, technical-wise, he has taught me almost everything about it.“

As for the prospect of Giguere – the teacher – engaging Gustavsson, the pupil, in a tug-of-war for the starter’s role, Burke hopes that the tussle evolves into a competition that perpetuates throughout the entire team.

“Great teams have goalie controversies,” said Burke. ”We’ve got to create tension where there’s enough talent on the roster and a high enough battle level that the coach has decisions to make.

“We’ve had a sense of entitlement, and we’re trying to change that,” noted Burke when assessing both moves of the day.

“It should be clear to our players that hard work is going to be a big part of playing for the Leafs.”

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Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca

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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.

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Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca

Follow TMLfans.ca on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tmlfansca