January 23, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mike Brown (18) chases the puck in the neutral zone against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Toronto Maple Leafs won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded forward Mike Brown to the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2014. The 27-year-old had just one assist this season, but ranked third in the National Hockey League with 70 penalty minutes. Brown has played in 254 career games and collected 14 goals and 11 assists, with 519 PIM. He had spent time with the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks before being acquired by Toronto.

The move essentially just seems to be a way for the Leafs to clear some roster space. With Joffrey Lupul and Matt Frattin returning to action soon, there simply wouldn’t have been enough room for Brown, Frazer McLaren, and Colton Orr to all spend time in the lineup.

Out of the three tough guys, it’s interesting that the Leafs would move Brown. Granted, McLaren has done a fine job since being picked up off waivers from the San Jose Sharks and Colton Orr is skating a bit better than last year, but Brown is clearly the most versatile. He has some speed, can get in on the forecheck, and can even be used in a penalty killing role from time to time.

With that being said, Brown surely would have garnered the most interest on the trade market. If the Leafs wanted to get rid of McLaren or Orr it would probably have been through waivers, and they wouldn’t have received anything in return.

October 28, 2011; Denver, CO, USA; Edmonton Oilers left wing Ryan Smyth (94) reacts after center Shawn Horcoff (10) scores against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period at the Pepsi Center. The Oilers won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Last Week: 2-1, +1.85 Units
YTD: 5-4, +2.03 Units

For those who are new to the site, this is a weekly sports betting column where I will post my best bets from the NHL every Saturday morning for the games that day. All odds that I quote are from Bet365.

Last week I had three picks and we managed a winning record of 2-1. Given the return on each game we made almost two units. This week I am back with two games and hoping to continue my winning ways.

1) Philadelphia Flyers +130 (Moneyline) at Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are returning from a successful 2-0 road trip in Florida and I am thinking that we might just be able to catch them napping against the Flyers. Although the Canadiens won both games in the sunshine state, they were not overly impressive. We are getting a pretty good return with a Flyers team that has been playing well and I think they are worth a shot as they try to avenge a loss from last night against the New Jersey Devils.

2)  Edmonton Oilers +120 (Regulation) vs. Colorado Avalanche

The Oilers have only won one game in their last seven, but from all accounts have played pretty well through that stretch. They have lost three times in either a shootout or overtime in that series and they probably played their worst game in the only win over Columbus, where they were out shot by a 40-14 margin. The Avalanche and Oilers have split their two games this season, each winning one at home. Colorado has also struggled and are missing key players in Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Johnson, Steve Downie and of course Ryan O’Reilly. They are going to have a hard time keeping up with the high flying Oilers. I’ll take the home team in regulation at a pretty good price.

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