Trade rumors surround Toronto’s struggles
As another NHL season creeps closer towards the playoffs, the seemingly always-disappointing Toronto Maple Leafs are in yet another tailspin towards the bottom of the standings. Approaching the highly anticipated Mar. 2 trade deadline, questions surround the Leafs and the roster moves they will step towards making.
The thought process seems to be that, in order for the Leafs to become a winning franchise, they have to draft and develop a whole new team – a process that many of the league’s top teams have followed. By the time these players are acquired and developed – the earliest being three to five seasons from now – players such as Phil Kessel and captain Dion Phaneuf will be past their prime, and on the outside looking in when it comes to top minutes. Right now, these players could potentially hold trade value around the league – there’s where trade speculation comes in.
To a team like Toronto, Phaneuf carries top minutes on the blue line. However, he doesn’t hold up against franchise defensemen such as the Los Angeles Kings’ Drew Doughty, who has the ability to be a significant difference-maker, specifically in the playoffs. The Leafs, it’s argued, have become a band-aid club – prioritizing making the playoffs with short-term solutions, rather than developing from the inside and growing as a franchise.
Looking at a team like Nashville, on the other hand, who are having a great season and hold a real chance at converting into a winning team in the post-season, something they haven’t had in quite some time.
Enter Cody Franson, a current Leaf, ex-Nashville Predator, and one of the few bright spots on a struggling Leafs roster. To a team like Nashville, Franson could be the asset that makes the difference between a championship and an early playoff exit.
Franson, Phaneuf, Kessel, Mike Santorelli, and even the young and promising Nazem Kadri have been rumoured in trade talk over the past months – increasingly as the Leafs continue to drop games and the trade deadline fast approaches. It is believed, however, that Kessel would fetch the biggest package, possibly a few young forwards with promise, and future draft picks.
Next in line would be Phaneuf. Despite his offensive numbers declining since his arrival in Toronto, he holds significant minutes on the top defensive pairing.
The impatience of Toronto hockey fans has caused the franchise issues before, while some say it is to be blamed for the state it’s currently in. After finishing 24th overall in the 2008-09 season, the Leafs traded their 2010 and 2011 first round draft picks to acquire Kessel. Leafs management could have opted to trade all the team’s assets for picks, and by the current 2014-2015 season, many of those picks would be about 23-years-old and ready to start strong NHL careers.
Instead, the Leafs traded for Kessel and finished 29th overall in 2010 and 22nd overall in 2011, giving Boston the second overall pick in 2010, Tyler Seguin, and the ninth overall pick in 2011, Dougie Hamilton – a top prospect from Toronto, Ontario.
Last season, Seguin exploded for 84 points, four more than Kessel, despite playing two fewer games. Seguin is currently tied for first in points and third in goals, with Kessel trailing him by over 10 points. A key factor to these statistics, however, is Seguin’s age – a mere 23-years-old compared to Kessel’s 28.
The moral of the story is that the poor performance of the Leafs cannot be blamed solely on the management, players, or fans. It has been a combination of all three, fueled by impatience and frustration. It’s time for Toronto fans to commit to the rebuild and pack on the patience.