Maple Leafs deal D Phaneuf to Senators in 9-player trade

And that brings me to the third thought I had about this trade.

Toronto and Ottawa completed a nine-player swap on Tuesday that sent defenseman Dion Phaneuf from the Maple Leafs to the Senators. “I’m really excited to have him”. First: Phaneuf becomes Ottawa’s second-best defenceman. Good luck with that, Toronto. In the short-term, that’s a huge win.

Toronto is painfully thin up front at the moment, so it made sense for GM Lou Lamoriello to pick up a couple of short-term place fillers in Michalek (who can take on some of the injured James van Riemsdyk’s minutes) and Greening. The prospect in the deal, Tobias Lindberg, seems to have some upside and a second-round pick in 2017 is a fine lottery ticket that could result in a payoff.

“I said he’s a good guy in the room”. He had to surrender that number with Ottawa, where it has already been claimed by veteran defenceman Marc Methot. This team isn’t a sleeping giant in need of one or two players to push them over the top, and they aren’t going to take on insane contracts based on a pipe dream.

The key to this trade for the Maple Leafs is money. But teams wouldn’t pay that price because of Phaneuf’s salary. Tuesday’s trade of Phaneuf and the salary cap space it will create in future years will only increase that chatter. This is a monster deal, especially so early. But next season, Ottawa’s saving $4.2M in actual cash and that may just be enough for a Mike Hoffman extension.

Shortly after McKenzie’s tweet, the Senators’ Twitter account broke the news of the trade. Many of us have been saying for a while that Ottawa’s core is great and Karlsson’s prime is being wasted due to a lacklustre D, and this makes everything a lot better.

The questions then shift: Can the Sens really compete for a Cup? That may not be the best future plan for this franchise. The club was impressed and the Leafs signed him to a three-year entry-level deal.

Stamkos is from the Toronto area, he is one of the best players in the National Hockey League and when you combine his production and the fact he is only 26 years old he would be one of the top free agents to ever hit the open market if it reaches that point. Plus he’s a UFA at the end of the year.

Rupert, a fan favourite in London, played four seasons with the Knights between 2010 and 2014. Donaghey is the most intriguing of the lot. Phaneuf is expected to be paired with 22-year-old Cody Ceci and is expected to dress for the Senators’ Wednesday evening game in Detroit against the Red Wings. That would give the Leafs two centres to build around for more than a decade. “We expect him to come here and just be the hockey player he is”.

UPDATE, 11:10 a.m.: McKenzie followed up shortly thereafter, reporting that the Leafs and Senators are “working on a trade” involving Phaneuf.

But the goaltender says it’s Phaneuf’s competitiveness that will be missed most. Sending him packing now, is building from the dollar signs out, opening roster spots and making salary manoeuvrings possible.