NHL Trade Rumors: Dion Phaneuf could be moved at trade deadline
Reports suggest that Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf could be moved at the 2016 NHL trade deadline
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the midst of a full rebuild and they’ve been exploring a variety of ways to get rid of the horrible contracts handed out by previous front office personnel. Toronto found a way to get rid of forward David Clarkson, now they could be moving on from defenseman Dion Phaneuf.
Their captain has been on the trading block for quite some time now. His success under Mike Babcock this season has likely made him a much more attractive trade target than before.
Hearing lots of Dion Phaneuf trade chatter. Starting to think he could actually be dealt before the deadline.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 9, 2016
Moving Phaneuf will be quite difficult for Toronto, as they will likely have to retain quite a bit of his salary to get a good return for him. The Leafs could also take on a bad contract to help the financials, but that’s something that the Leafs are likely not interested in because they have young players who they have to give raises to.
Dion Phaneuf has five years remaining on his contract and carries a cap hit of $7 million a season. The Leafs captain has 24 points in 51 games this season after having 29 points in 70 games last year. His plus-minus has improved from -11 in 2014-2015 to -4 this season as of February 9th.
Phaneuf has been a positive possession player for the Leafs for the first time since the 2011-2012 season with a 51.6 percent Corsi For percentage and a 1.4 percent Corsi For percentage relative.