Toronto Maple Leafs Add Defenseman John-Michael Liles

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke is always active around this time of year. And he was just ahead of the draft by pitching a deal with the Colorado Avalanche to add a weapon along the blue line in the form of 30-year old veteran John-Michael Liles.

It seems like Liles has been a rumor of trade bait for quite a few years already, so it's not entirely shocking that he was eventually dealt by a Colorado organization that he has spent his entire career with but is also trying to get its team somewhat rebuilt. The fact that the Maple Leafs only needed to let go of a second round pick in this weekend's draft is a bit baffling, however.

Liles essentially replaces Tomas Kaberle, who Toronto dealt to Boston near the trade deadline last season. In fact, it was the same second rounder that Burke acquired from the Kaberle deal that he sent right over to Colorado.

Liles could afford to be more consistent in his play, but he remains one of the league's better scoring defenseman with excellent value on the power play. He is coming off a season with six goals and 46 points with 18 total power play points. He boasts career-bests of 14 goals during both of the immediate seasons coming out of the lockout and racked up an impressive eight scores on the man advantage in 2006-07.

He will enter the final year of his contract next season, which pays out $4.5 million but counts as a $4.2 million cap hit to Toronto's payroll.

Bruins Acquire Kaberle, Peverely and Valabik

One would think that today was the NHL trade deadline considering the amount of deals that went down really over the last few hours. The deadline is still a week and a half away, but that did not stop the Boston Bruins from tinkering with their roster now. In two separate deals, Boston brought in defensemen Tomas Kaberle and Boris Valabik, as well as center Rich Peverely.
The Bruins acquired Kaberle from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward prospect Joe Colborne, Boston's first round pick this year and a conditional second rounder. Kaberle, who has been on the block for a few years now, has previously been reluctant to waive his no-trade clause in past seasons. But he did so this year to head to Boston, which ends a 12-year run with the organization that drafted him 204th overall back in 1996.

“On behalf of our entire organization I would like to thank Tomas for all of his many outstanding contributions to the Toronto Maple Leafs on the ice, and in the community," general manager Brian Burke said in a statement released by the Maple Leafs. "He has been a model citizen and it’s never easy to trade a player that has conducted himself as professionally as Tomas has for the past 13 years.”

In 58 games this season, Kaberle has posted three goals and 35 points for 38 points. He has yet to register a goal on the power play, though 22 of his helpers have come on the man advantage. The Bruins will benefit from that offensive upgrade on the blue line from the 32-year old pending unrestricted free agent.

The price tag was also relatively cheap for what will probably be a rental player. Colborne is a good prospect who was taken back in 2008 by Boston at the 16th overall position. But there's no guarantees with prospects and the Bruins still have plenty of depth in their system. Giving up the first rounder to Toronto also isn't a big deal since they still possess the Maple Leafs' first round pick this year from the Phil Kessel trade. And that selection will be high on in the draft - possibly even a lottery pick.

The Bruins also completed a separate trade with the Atlanta Thrashers that netted them Peverely and Valabik in exchange for Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart. This deal will aid both teams as they compete for vastly different positioning in the postseason.

It's hard to say which side "won" this trade, as the Bruins were able to bring in a better offensive player and center in Peverely. Yet, they gave a bit on the defensive end by dealing a good two-way player in Wheeler and a better defender in Stuart. This trade just feels like a tinkering move between two general managers and should drastically change the fortunes of either team. If anything, the Bruins were able to cut a litlte payroll.

NHL Trade Breakdown: 2.9.2011

The NHL trade deadline is fast approaching, set to go in effect at 3 p.m. eastern time on Monday, February 28. With just about two and half weeks remaining, it's time for teams to decide whether they are buyers or sellers and for general manager to start negotiations in hopes of building for the playoffs or giving themselves a better shot for next season.

A good numbers of deals went down today, signaling that perhaps the ball is rolling from here on out for these trades to take place. Lets take a look of some of these deals and break down how they affect the teams involved.

Toronto Maple Leafs trade defenseman Francois Beauchemin to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Joffrey Lupul, defensive prospect Jake Gardiner and a conditional 2013 fourth round pick:

Over the last few years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have constantly been a rumor mill for trades, especially involving defensemen. It seems impossible for Tomas Kaberle to avoid this at every twist and turn of his season from a yearly basis. This year, however, he was not alone on the trade block. Francois Beauchemin had long been considered available to any team willing to offer general manager Brian Burke something of substance.

It seems that Anaheim was able to cough up something to his liking. By sending Joffrey Lupul, former first rounder (17th overall in 2008) Jake Gardiner and a conditional fourth round pick in 2013 to Toronto, the Ducks were able to bring a familiar face back to The Honda Center. Beauchemin, 30, spent four seasons with the Ducks and has a Stanley Cup to his credit from playing on their 2007 championship team. And that familiarity to the Ducks, as well as a renewed sense of motivation for playing on a championship contender, could make this a worthwhile acquisiton for the Ducks. It also doesn't hurt that the Ducks managed to shed about half a million bucks in cap space in the process.

But it doesn't come without risk. Beauchemin has largely been a disappointment for the Maple Leafs this year and carries a hefty $3.8 million cap hit this year and next for what has thus far been subpar play. Lupul may not be a gamebreaker, but he is a decent contributor with 25-goal, 50-point potential when healthy that should fill Toronto's need of scoring more goals. And the Leafs gave up an intriguing 20-year old defensive prospect that could have grown into a key asset on Anaheim's blue line along with the likes of Cam Fowler. For a player that has been struggling like Beauchemin, that's not necessarily the greatest gamble.

If Beauchemin truly takes this deal as a reason to step up his game and play with a renewed energy to his game, he can be a nice veteran pickup for a team currently holding onto a seventh-seed playoff position out West by just one point. But if he plays just as he did in Toronto, the Ducks would have been better off holding onto Gardiner and monitoring his progress.

Armstrong To Leafs, Niittymaki To Sharks, Auld To Montreal, O'Donnell To Flyers

 

~ Penguins fans probably would have love to have him back, but the winger most compatible with Sidney Crosby that was dealt to Atlanta in the Marian Hossa trade is now heading to Toronto on a three-year, $9 million deal. That's right, Colby Armstrong is the second top-six forward acquired by Brian Burke in the past two days (Kris Versteeg being the first.) He made $2.4 million last year, so this represents a $600,000 raise and is pretty equal to the output he provides. Armstrong is a gritty two-way player with 20-goal potential.

~ The San Jose Sharks cut the line on Evgeni Nabokov because they wanted to seek cheaper options than the $5- to 6-million he will probably find somewhere in free agency. Well, they found one, and it comes in the form of ex-Flyer/Lightning netminder Antero Niittymaki. He is on board for two years at $2 million per, which drastically lower than what Nabokov likely would have cost. But I do fear in this case that the Sharks will get what they pay for. Niittymaki is good and posted 21 wins with Tampa last year in 49 games played. But he's still just a better-than-average backup and will fail to win over 40 games a season like Nabokov did three years in a row if asked to shoulder a heavy load in San Jose.

~ Forget Dan Ellis, people. His lacking French-speaking skills won't be necessary. The Montreal Canadiens went another route for their No. 1A/2 goalie next season with Alexander Auld. Auld, who was a waiver acquisition for the Rangers late last year, is a more-than-adequate backup who will push Carey Price. Auld is there for one year at $1 million, which is by far a cheaper rate than what St. Louis will now have to dish out for Jaroslav Halak.

~ Apparently the Philadelphia Flyers need an army of defensemen, because they have quite a few and just added another. Veteran Sean O'Donnell is coming to Philly on a one-year deal worth $1 million, plus games played incentives. He's a good stay-at-home defender and worth it at that price. But the signing still begs the question, why? Or ... who's being dealt?

Versteeg Next 'Hawk Off The Books, Dealt To Toronto

 

The Chicago Blackhawks are still looking to clear salary cap space, and took another $3,083,333 off the books for next season and the year after by dealing Kris Versteeg to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Along with Versteeg, the Maple Leafs will obtain the rights to forward Bill Sweatt in exchange for forwards Viktor Stalberg, Chris DiDomenico and Philippe Paradis.

In comparison, the Maple Leafs gave up virtually nothing for a solid 24-year old scorer - something GM Brian Burke has been yearning for this offseason and didn't even have to give up defenseman Tomas Kaberle to get in this deal. Last season, Versteeg netted 20 goals and posted 44 points in 79 regular season games. In the playoffs, he added six goals and eight assists as part of the Blackhawk's Stanley Cup winning team.

News From Around The Crease

 

~ TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting that the Toronto Maple Leafs have received at least five offers for defenseman Tomas Kaberle. As they stand, none are good enough for General Manager Brian Burke to accept. But some finagling between the draft on Friday and the middle of July, when Kaberle's no trade clause is back in effect, could entice Burke to pull the trigger.

It is believed Burke is looking for a first round pick in a deal, but that is not necessarily a deal breaker. More importantly, Burke wants a scoring threat that can be plugged right into the lineup. While it's likely Kaberle will end up being traded, it is still possible that the Maple Leafs could retain his services and sign him to an extension.

~ The Phoenix Coyotes would like to build upon their shocking turnaround last season and have already made moves to bring back some key components, such as defenseman Keith Aucion, left wing Taylor Pyatt and left wing Scottie Upshall. General Manager Don Maloney focused his attention on mid-season acquisition Wojtek Wolski on Thusday, signing the 24-year old winger to a two-year, $7.6 million contract. The deal will pay Wolski $3.8 million per season - a raise from the $3.1 million he earned last year.

Wolski was acquired by the Coyotes from the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline this past March. The Avs received Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter in the deal. In 18 regular season games following the trade, Wolski netted six goals and a point-per-game pace, while adding five points in seven postseason games against the Detroit Red Wings. He totaled 23 goals and 65 points last year between the Avalanche and Coyotes.

Dion Phaneuf Named 18th Captain of Toronto Maple Leafs

Two years have gone by since Mats Sundin ended his 13-year tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs and took the team’s captaincy with him. Since then, no player in the organization has been given the role and only the alternate captaincy has been passed around between players. On Monday, general manager Brian Burke and head coach Ron Wilson felt it was time to bring back the “C” and stitch it onto the sweater of the 18th captain in team history. And that honor goes to Dion Phaneuf, who was formally introduced Monday in a press conference also intended to showcase Maple Leafs’ new sweaters for the 2010-11 season:

It might seem a bit awkward to hand over this highly-regarded status to a player who fell out of favor with the squad that originally drafted him and has only suited up for a total of 26 games with Toronto. But the 25-year old Phaneuf, who was acquired from the Calgary Flames as part of a seven-player trade in January, has proven to be a physical and vocal leader. He logs plenty of ice time, is capable of getting on the score sheet and defends his end of the ice with size and strength. In his short time in Toronto, he has gained the respect of his teammates, Wilson and Burke, who he apparently doesn’t have any issue standing up to:

"He thought we got pushed around in a game and came right out of the dressing room and barked at me on the way to the weight room: ‘We need some bigger forwards in here,’ and kept walking,” Burke said. “I haven’t had too many guys bark at me like that. I didn’t mind it and he’s right. We do need some bigger forwards.”

There weren’t too many options of the Toronto roster outside Phaneuf for the captaincy anyway. Tomas Kaberle would be the most logical, but he’s believed to be on his way out of Toronto sometime between the NHL Entry Draft on June 25 and the end of July when his no-trade clause will temporarily be lifted. Phil Kessel might eventually be captain material and should probably don an “A” come next season. But he’s still a budding star that isn’t as vocal and lacks the personality of Phaneuf. Everybody else is either too young or lacks the high status Phaneuf possesses. He is, at the very least, the right guy at the right time.

Phaneuf has goals for his new position on the team. He doesn’t just want to be any captain – he wants to be one of the best. He hopes to live up to the hefty standards set by the likes of Mark Messier, Wendel Clark and his former teammate with the Flames, Jarome Iginla.

“You look at how they play the game and how they lead,” Phaneuf said. “I think the best way to lead is you don’t have to be the loudest guy but you definitely want to be the guy who’s working the hardest day in and day out … That’s what I’m going to bring to our team. I want to be known as the guy who works the hardest.”

That hard work is going to be critical for the still-rebuilding Maple Leafs if they hope to get back into playoff contention within the next year or two. His leadership and toughness will need to trickle down to the team’s young players. And when it doesn’t, he won’t hesitate to give his teammates a “kick in the butt,” according to 20-year old Luke Schenn.

Kaberle An Option For The Devils?

Once again ousted in the first round of the playoffs and sitting just a few years away from the retirement of Martin Brodeur, the New Jersey Devils look primed to exhibit a win-all philosophy heading into next season. From their current head coach search to filling out the roster of players, general manager Lou Lamoriello is believed to be pulling all punches in trying to make the final years of Brodeur's career as successful as possible.

A key area that the Devils would love to improve is offense provided by their defensemen. According to The New York Post, Tomas Kaberle might be on New Jersey's radar.

Per an e-mail sent out to general managers throughout the NHL by Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, Kaberle's current no-trade clause will be lifted for a limited amount of time between the NHL Draft (which starts on June 25) through the end of July. Burke would like a young player capable of stepping into the Leafs lineup right away, as well as a high draft pick in a few weeks.

The former of those requests shouldn't be too big a problem for the Devils, depending on who Lamoriello is willing to part with. David Clarkson or maybe even Travis Zajac, who unbelievably didn't have to be a part of the package sent to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk, would probably be enough to please Burke. The draft pick part might not be as easy. As a result of the Phil Kessel trade last summer, Burke is left without a first round pick at this year's draft and remains very interested in getting back into the top 30. New Jersey dealt its first round pick to the Thrashers in that same Kovalchuk trade, leaving the team without a selection in the first. However, there might be some hope for the Devils in that department. As The Post points out, there was a swap of second rounds pick. And that gives the Devils the 38th overall pick in the draft. If the Devils package Clarkson (since Zajac is probably unlikely), the second round pick from Atlanta (38th overall) and a player from the minors, Lamoriello might just be in business. I doubt the market is going to be that much better for Kaberle.

Before Lamoriello goes and pulls the trigger, he needs to decide whether he's interested in bringing back Paul Martin, who currently stands as the Devils' top offensive option from the blue line. He played just 22 games last season courtesy of a broken left arm, but he still posted 11 points - nine of which came during the final 13 games of the season he played since returning on March 13. At a price of $4.5 million last season and heading into unrestricted free agency on July 1, Martin is going to cost a pretty penny. And it will likely be more than the $3.833 annual cap hit from his current contract.

It will, therefore, be very difficult for the Devils to retain Martin and trade for Kaberle, who is scheduled to make $4.25 million - with a similar cap hit - next season in the final year of his contract. The Devils have some cap flexibility, as right now they have $41.1 million already committed to their 2010-11 payroll between 15 players. That's not including Ilya Kovalchuk, though, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is likely to command at least $8 million a season. He alone could kill any cap space they have if Lamoriello is intent on retaining his services. Plus, New Jersey better start worrying about Zach Parise, who is in the final year of his current deal before becoming a restricted free agent next summer. You can bet he'll demand a mighty raise from the $5 million ($3.125 million cap hit) he's set to earn in 2010-11.

So, it could boil down to one or the other if New Jersey wants to avoid eating up too much cap space for other areas. Kaberle is the older of the two at 32, but only by three years. And he is a much better option offensively. Kaberle has the ability to post 50+ points a season, a lot more than the 30 or so Martin will hover around during a healthy campaign. And he will be a major upgrade on the power play, where the Devils haven't had a really reliable quarterback in a number of years.

If money is going to be relatively similar between the two, Kaberle has to be the obvious choice for the Devils. New Jersey could sorely use a player with his skills, which will be necessary if it seriously intends on getting past the hurdle of the opening round of the playoffs to make a serious push for the Cup.