Leafs Complete Five-Player Deal With Senators

Michalek was originally selected by the Sharks with the sixth overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. But for the rebuilding Leafs and the suddenly spry Phaneuf, there may actually be some fire under all the smoke McKenzie just created – especially after the Winnipeg Jets locked up defenseman Dustin Byfuglien on Monday morning. In the 2015-16 season, Phaneuf has scored three goals and added 21 assists in 51 games with Toronto.

In Tampa Bay, he is pretty much guaranteed to be a part of a contender for the foreseeable future.

Lindberg was part of that Memorial Cup Oshawa Generals team that Smith coached, getting five points in the junior championship tournament, including an assist on the overtime victor against Kelowna.

With so many moving pieces in one deal, it is hard to give an immediate thought on precisely which team is the “winner” of the trade.

Lindberg was a fourth-round pick – acquired from the Lightning in the Ben Bishop trade – by the Senators in 2013.

However, despite the encouragement of the many pockets of boisterous Toronto supporters in the sellout crowd of 19,289, the Maple Leafs could not complete the comeback even with late pressure. He had 97 points (playoffs included) for Oshawa last season under current Leafs assistant coach D.J. Smith.

Not that long ago, Phaneuf, Kessel and David Clarkson, the big three of Nonis’ bad contracts, seemed like untradeable anchors.

“He was one individual prospect we targeted…” Jared Cowen and Colin Greening have a combined $5.75 million value for this season, both of who have been nothing more than destructive to Ottawa’s budget. Greening, a super-fit forward who never fit in at the top level, is a minor-leaguer making $2.65-million.

The Leafs have a series of expiring contracts that are likely to be dealt ahead of the February 29 trade deadline. He has spent most of his time since then with the Marlies, after going scoreless in nine games in his second go-round as a Leaf. He is an unrestricted free agent after the season. Phaneuf had the respect of his goalie and with that deserves a break from the fans who lived to bash him.

Finally, if the off-season counts, Ottawa has a Senator who actually lives in PEI, for that is where Phaneuf’s parents came from and it’s where he summers.

At the end of the day however, you have to admit that the biggest victor of all…

Toronto Maple Leafs’ Peter Holland, left, is hit by Calgary Flames’ Dougie Hamilton during first period National Hockey League action in Calgary, Alberta, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. He has recorded 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) over 34 games in his rookie season with the Binghamton Senators and is under contract through 2017-18. There is no salary being retained by either team.

The future: The native of Grand Bend, Ont., plays a lot like former Leaf Darcy Tucker.

It might be a tough sell for Toronto: Sign here, we’ll be good in, like, three or four years tops, we swear.

Frattin has 22 points in 47 AHL games this season, the others are not high level prospects. He’s since been traded from Quebec to Halifax and now Moncton in the QMJHL.