Great article from Andy Strickland.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Andy-Strickland/Buyer-Beware-For-Leafs-Fans-Karyia-Not-Asked-to-W8230/5/25965
The most common phrase we here from GM’s around the NHL today is how you can’t make trades in the salary cap era. That appeared to be the case until this week when a firestorm erupted in a couple of markets. Still one thing that can’t get lost is the money going from one team to the next in most of these deals still comes close to an even swap salary wise.
I’m really curious to see how Dion Phaneuf going to Toronto plays out over the long haul. Not to pick on the guy but he’s one of the more disliked NHL players you’ll find both on the ice and inside the dressing room. I don’t always like to make too much of player relations as you can find player rifts on probably every team in the league.
But with that being said Calgary made this trade with Toronto for one reason, and that’s to rid themselves of Phaneuf. They no longer wanted Phaneuf the person not the hockey player. You normally wouldn’t trade a “Name” player this early into a long-term contract unless there’s a personal issue. Several sources indicate there was. When Phanuef signed his deal many believed he’d be a future Norris Trophy winner but it appears his game is a notch below that mark.
Whether it was his rumored conflict with popular Calgary D-man Robyn Regehr or his poor relationship with the Head Coach, the bottom line is Calgary got exactly what they wanted which is a trade that removes Phaneuf from the dressing room.
So as the celebration continues in Toronto the buyer should beware. The former All-star D-man struggled fitting in a dressing room where the team has a decent history of winning in the regular season, how will he fit in a losing environment in Toronto?
While Toronto gets the best player in the deal Calgary did ok by adding some depth up front. They get a couple of 20 goal scorers along with a veteran player in Jamal Mayers. They also got maybe the most underrated player in the deal in D-man Ian White who at the end of the deal could end up being the best player in the trade.
I like this guy White who by all accounts is a great character guy to compliment his offensive skills on the ice. It wasn’t too long ago that he couldn’t even find his way into the lineup. At one point Leafs Head Coach Ron Wilson continued to mess with this kid by using him at forward but you never heard a complaint come from Ian White. These are the types of players you want in your organization. He played over 21 minutes in his first game with Calgary and I won’t be surprised to see that number jump up closer to 25 as we move along.
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