Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Maple Leafs Roundtable: Favorite Moment From 2015-2016

By Tim Chiasson

Mar 21, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (39) and forward Frederik Gauthier (54) celebrate a win over the Calgary Flames at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Calgary 5-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (39) and forward Frederik Gauthier (54) celebrate a win over the Calgary Flames at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Calgary 5-2. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Nov 28, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf (3) before the start of their game against the Washington Capitals at Air Canada Centre. The Capitals beat the Maple Leafs 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf (3) before the start of their game against the Washington Capitals at Air Canada Centre. The Capitals beat the Maple Leafs 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Sandy Taver: The Dion Phaneuf Trade

For me it’s real hard to pick one particular move since, for the first time in decades there were many good memorable moments.

Seeing the prospects suit up and impress as Leafs, getting Lou and Babcock to pilot the ship, Not getting Stamkos, seeing Komarov return and contribute,quickly come to mind.

More from Editor In Leaf

But I’m going to settle on trading Phaneuf, without eating salary.  Despite Babcock turning Phaneuf into an effective defenceman by managing his ice time and situations, Phaneuf is essentially a 4-5 M  dollar asset who is on the decline, yet paid like a top 2 guy for the next 6 years.

That onerous contract would have soon created a cap problem when we most will need room to retain the talent soon to be the foundation of the team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were fortunate to rid themselves of Clarkson the year prior, which was awesome but still costs them bottom line money -which is acceptable.  Cap space though is more important, and managing it is the key to keeping a competitive club on top.

Pumping and dumping Phaneuf will go a long way towards building and retaining a talented core that keeps the Leafs in the run for years to come.

That was the best moment for me.

Next: Tim Chiasson:

Home/Editorials