The second Trade Deadline day in the multi-year rebuild
of the Toronto Maple Leafs has passed, and what, if anything, has changed?
In a previous article on this site (A Plan for 2016 Trade Deadline), a plan was put forth on how the Leafs could have approached the February 29th Trade Deadline with an eye to managing and maximizing their assets. In summary, that plan was to create a list with every Leaf player over the age of 25 and subsequently sub-divide that list into two other lists – List “A (UFA’s) and List “B” (non-UFA’s).
In a previous article on this site (A Plan for 2016 Trade Deadline), a plan was put forth on how the Leafs could have approached the February 29th Trade Deadline with an eye to managing and maximizing their assets. In summary, that plan was to create a list with every Leaf player over the age of 25 and subsequently sub-divide that list into two other lists – List “A (UFA’s) and List “B” (non-UFA’s).
As List “A” was the UFA’s, who could walk at the end of
the season without the Leafs receiving anything back in compensation, it was obviously
time sensitive and required immediate attention.
List “A” had the following nine players on it:
1.
Mark Arcobello
2.
Brad Boyes
3.
Rich Clune
4.
Michael Grabner
5.
Shawn Matthias
6.
P.A. Parenteau
7.
Roman Polak
8.
James Reimer
9.
Nick Spaling
Looking at List “A”, it was determined that the Leafs
probably would not be able to trade all of these players. It was suggested that
if the Leafs managed to receive a cumulative total of 4-5 picks and/or prospects
for the nine players on List “A” they would have done their best to maximize
their future assets from this crop of UFA’s.
Well, as it turned out, only four of the nine players
were traded (Matthias, Polak, Reimer, and Spaling), but the haul received for
them was more than expected.
Shawn Matthias returned a 2016 4th round draft
pick and Colin Smith (22). The pick is the prize though Colin Smith, who might
be considered a low to mid “C” level prospect, is worth a look.
Roman Polak and Nick Spaling returned 2017 and 2018 2nd
round picks and Raffi Torres (34). The picks are the prize with Raffi Torres thrown
in simply as a salary dump. In all likelihood, the Leafs will let Raffi Torres
walk at the end of the year and not be too concerned.
James Reimer and Jeremy Morin returned a conditional 2018
4th round pick, Alex Stalock (28), and Ben Smith (27). Once again, the
pick is the prize for the Leafs as they exchanged an AHL’er in Jeremy Morin for
an older player in Ben Smith who is probably looked upon as a veteran to fill a
roster space and perhaps be bundled into a bigger package in the coming off-season.
To summarize the return from List “A”:
1.
A 4th round 2016 draft pick
2.
A 2nd round 2017 draft pick
3.
A 2nd round 2018 draft pick
4.
A 4th round 2018 draft pick
(Conditional)
5.
A “C” level prospect in Colin Smith (22)
6.
A serviceable veteran in Ben Smith (27)
Basically, spot on for the initial estimate of 4-5 picks
and/or prospects for List “A”. Another job well done by Leafs management.
Unfortunately, new teams were not to be found for Mark
Arcobello, Brad Boyes, Rich Clune, Michael Grabner, and P.A. Parenteau so most
of them will likely move on at the end of the season without returning anything
of value to the Leafs for the rebuild.
Turning our attention to the other list, List “B”
contained the following players:
1.
Jonathan Bernier
2.
Tyler Bozak
3.
Matt Hunwick
4.
Joffrey Lupul
5.
Dion Phaneuf
6.
Stephane Robidas
7.
Daniel Winnick
Looking at List “B”, it was determined that the Leafs
probably would not be able to trade all of these players as some of them had
less than optimal contracts. If the Leafs managed to receive a cumulative total
of 3-4 picks and/or prospects for the seven players on List “B” they would have
done their best to maximize their future assets from this crop of veteran
non-UFA’s.
As it turned out, only two of the seven players were
traded (Phaneuf and Winnick), but the haul received for them was more than expected
– especially being able to get out from under the rather large and long-term
contract of Dion Phaneuf.
Dion Phaneuf, Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert, and
Cody Donaghey returned a 2017 2nd round draft pick, Tobias Lindberg
(20), Jared Cowan (25), Colin Greening (29), and Milan Michalek (31). In this
case the pick and Tobias Lindberg would be considered the prizes as Tobias
Lindberg might be considered a high “B” level prospect. Even though Jared Cowan
is only 25, his contract offers a rare credit to the salary cap if he is bought
out this off-season so he, Colin Greening, and Milan Michalek would be
considered salary dumps. But, as with Ben Smith, Greening and Michalek could
potentially be packaged up in the off-season or at the next Trade Deadline and
might return future assets for the Leafs’ rebuild.
Daniel Winnick and a 2016 5th round pick
returned Connor Carrick (21), Brooks Laich (32), and a 2016 2nd
round pick. Upgrading the 2016 pick from the 5th round to the 2nd
round was a nice touch. In this trade, the pick and Connor Carrick would
be considered the prizes but receiving another veteran, Brooks Laich, to
provide veteran leadership and potentially package up in the off-season or at the next Trade Deadline should not be undervalued.
To summarize the return from List “B”:
1.
Removal of Dion Phaneuf’s contract and its’ AAV
of $7 million for the next 5 years
2.
A 2nd round 2016 draft pick
3.
A 2nd round 2017 draft pick
4.
A high “B” level prospect in Tobias Lindberg
(20)
5.
A “C” level prospect in Connor Carrick (21)
6.
Serviceable veterans in Colin Greening (29),
Milan Michalek (31), and Brooks Laich (32)
7.
A potentially useful trade chip in the Jared
Cowan contract
For List “B”, by virtue of trading Dion Phaneuf and his
contract, the Leafs did better than the initial estimate of 3-4 picks and/or
prospects. In fact, a fantastic job by Leafs management.
As they are still under contract for next year, the rest
of the players on List “B” can be packaged up and traded either in this coming
off-season or at the next Trade Deadline.
In a repeat of last year’s Trade Deadline, the work done by the new management group of
the Leafs deserves way more than a passing grade – in this case an extremely
solid A.
Like last year, spreading the draft picks returned in
these trades to 2017 and 2018 was the prudent move as it spreads the “lottery
tickets” around to different years and hopefully increases the odds of the
Leafs’ scouts finding hidden gems in other draft years.
With the excitement of the Trade Deadline past, the only option now is to wait for the next significant date on the Leafs'
calendar - draft lottery day.
No comments:
Post a Comment