- Michael Gragne of Sportnet: Maple Leafs Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf have limited no-trade clauses, and both have suggested that if they are asked about potentially waiving it, they would listen.
“I signed here to be a Toronto Maple Leaf,” said Phaneuf. “That can change, I understand the business, I’ve been around long enough. There’s been lots of talk, lots of speculation but right now I’m focused on being a Toronto Maple Leaf. If that comes up this summer, I’ll deal with that then, but right now I’m a Toronto Maple Leaf.”
With the emphasis on ‘right now.’
Kessel on if he’d be open to being moved.
“I’ll have to see when the time comes,” he said. “You never know how it shakes out, but I want to be here. I love playing in Toronto.”
- Sean Fitz-Gerald of the National Post: Maple Leafs Joffrey Lupul.
“Do I think I’ll be back?” Lupul asked. “I don’t know.”
- Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star: The time for the Maple Leafs cashing in on a Phil Kessel trade came and went a while ago. His stock is low at the moment.
The idea that you might have swapped Kessel in a package that could have brought back a first-line centre to build around — well, that made sense when Kessel hadn’t damaged his reputation around the league with a mail-it-in debacle. Trading Kessel now would mean trading him from a position of maximum weakness. His stock has never been lower. His critics have never been louder.
If I’m (Feschuk) Shanahan, worry about finding a new GM, filling out your staff and have other players to trade.
Trading a your best asset when his value is at the lowest doesn’t make sense.
- Stephen Whyno on TSN SN: Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan.
“The challenge here in Toronto is not to come up with the plan. The challenge in Toronto is to stick to it,” Shanahan said. “Shortcuts have gotten this organization into trouble in the past. This has to once and for all be a build that we are committed to and that we don’t stray from.”
…
“As a group, as a mix, I think they’ve shown and they understand and accept that over the last several years, not just this year, for whatever reason the mix doesn’t work,” Shanahan said. “After what’s happened here over the last several years, I think (change) has to include everybody.”
The Leafs long-term plan figures to include Morgan Rielly, James van Riemsdyk, Peter Holland, Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Bernier and Jake Gardiner.
