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Toronto Maple Leafs to make ‘everyone available’ at deadline

By Cory Buck

Feb 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Phil Kessel (81) warms up before playing against the Winnipeg Jets at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Jets 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Phil Kessel (81) warms up before playing against the Winnipeg Jets at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Jets 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly made ‘everyone available’ at the NHL trade deadline, which includes stars DionPhaneuf and Phil Kessel.

In an effort to pick their roster apart of large contracts and build for the future, the Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly calling teams around the NHL, dangling every player they have, which includes captain and top defenseman Dion Phaneuf along with goal-scoring winger Phil Kessel.

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TSN adds, “Security is virtually non-existent for each and every Leaf ahead of Monday’s trade deadline and beyond into an offseason that promises more than a few fireworks.”

With more than $15 million tied into their top two players, the Leafs are making it no secret that they’d prefer to move on from one or both of Kessel and Phaneuf, neither of whom have been enough to get Toronto even one playoff series win in their time in the center of the hockey universe.

The team began its rebuild earlier this season when they traded Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli to the Nashville Predators, followed by a move of Daniel Winnik to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Those moves would pale in comparison though if Toronto was able to move one of their marquee players on deadline day.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Phil Kessel carries an annual cap hit of $8 million and Phaneuf will cost a team $7 million against the cap. Such onerous salaries will make a deal in the middle of the season a very tricky proposition if Toronto is serious about getting a package of future assets around which the team can rebuild.

While it would be great fun to analyze the Leafs trading one of the biggest names on the block, it’s not likely to happen on deadline day. Instead, this seems like a deal best saved for draft day in June when teams have more cap flexibility and more assets at hand with which they can deal. No one can cross the cap threshold in the middle of the season, but if a contending team takes on Kessel’s salary at the draft, they will have all summer to make the money work.

Keep an eye on Toronto for now, regardless of the practicality of a deal on deadline day. If such days in years past have taught us anything, it’s that you never know until the last calls have been made to the league office in the afternoon.

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