Leafs clean house, acquiring Phaneuf and Giguere

In one fell swoop, GM Brian Burke has put the Leafs back in the front side of the sports pages.

On a busy Sunday morning, he’s acquired Dion Phaneuf, along with Freddie Sjostrom and minor leaguer Keith Aulie in exchange for Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers, who are all headed to Calgary.

In a second deal, Burke acquired J S Giguere in exchange for Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake, who will move to the Anaheim Ducks.

Leaf fans need to take a step back and realize that this club has been without star power since Mats Sundin left town. Burke was quick to point out that the Leafs have picked up two young players, around whom he can build this club, in Phil Kessel, 21, a top sniper, and Phaneuf, an elite defenseman who is only 24 years old.
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Now they can at least see the first seeds of Burke’s plan to change the face of this club.

We know what they are getting in Giguere, one of Burke’s players from his days in Anaheim and the thinking here is that the Leafs will take a shot at resigning him for a more cap-friendly salary to work with Gustavsson in the new Leaf goalie tandem. He is due to earn $7 Million next season.

What did the Leafs give up in these deals?

Niklas Hagman is the key as a bona fide top six forward, a capable scorer who is responsible defensively as well. His salary of $3 Million over the next two years is also a cap-friendly figure. He will be a nice fit among the top-six in Calgary.

In Matt Stajan, they pick up a center who was miscast as a first liner this year in Toronto. Stajan will slide into a more appropriate second or third line role with the Flames and should be free to play a more balanced game, away from the Toronto fishbowl. The Flames are looking for him to provide a boost to their offensive depth and he should be able to respond as he will not have to face top checking units that focused on his line during this season with the Leafs.

Ian White has actually outscored Phaneuf this season, but he has slipped into a defensive funk recently and been a big minus player during his last ten games with the Leafs. We are left to wonder which version will emerge in Calgary, the young player who scratched and clawed his way to establish himself as a full-time player or the run and gun reckless passer who has emerged as a red flag zone in the last month.

Mayers is a gritty role player who will be a plus in the dressing room and hopefully can take away some the physical load that Jarome Iginla carries as the all-purpose leader of the Flames.

In terms of the Anaheim deal, the Ducks take on Jason Blake, whose fast skating style should mesh well within their fleet top two lines. The Leafs have divested themselves of the last two years of his deal which carried a $4 million cap hit for each season.

Vesa Toskala moves into a backup role behind Jonas Hiller and will undoubtedly have to test free agency to find future employment this summer. Clearly he had not earned a place in Toronto’s future plans with his dismal play this season.

The Leaf Salary Cap picture is growing clearer with these moves as they have beefed up their defensive complement to the point where a Tomas Kaberle trade is foreseeable, given the depth and salary commitments to the blueline.

Woefully thin up front, that will be the focus as they will now have about $15 million in cap space to fill out their roster next season. 

In the meantime, it’s also clear that Burke is open for business as the trade deadline approaches.

Tags: brian burke, Dion Phaneuf, J S Giguere, NHL Trade, Toronto Maple Leafs