- Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun: Trade rumors in Toronto have intensified. Cody Franson and Daniel Winnik are linked to many Western Conference teams. Tyler Bozak, Mike Santorelli, Korbinian Holzer, Jake Gardiner and Nazem Kadri could be traded. Dion Phaneuf and Phil Kessel could be had for the right price. If one of Phaneuf or Kessel are traded, it will likely happen in the offseason.
“Trades are part of the business … it’s our fault,” Phaneuf said. “We have not played near the level that we have expected and when you don’t have success as a team, things change. As a player, you are well aware of it, and I have been through that before.
“Everything on the outside, there is going to be lots of opinions, lots of different rumours, and that is part of playing in the NHL. Trades are part of that.”
- James Mirtle: Doesn’t feel like the Maple Leafs will get Cody Franson signed. If you put him with a great D partner on a solid team, he probably will look pretty good.
- Darren Dreger of TSN: There is the speculation that the Predators are interested in Cody Franson, but they could also be interested in Mike Santorelli or Daniel Winnik. GMs David Poile and Dave Nonis met on Thursday night. The Leafs have had some talks with Santorelli’s agent. The Leafs haven’t made an offer, but it is believed that Santorelli is looking for a three-year deal for at least $3 million a season.
- Thomas Drance of The Leafs Nation: Pierre LeBrun on TSN 1050 yesterday afternoon on the Maple Leafs.
They’d love to move Lupul, whose kidding who, but I don’t think the market is too hot for him right now.
The real focus is on the UFAs right now. I think they’d listen on Bozak, but the UFAs is really where the focus is at. I talked to a Leafs source two days ago, that really the process has just started in terms of teams phoning, and the Leafs phoning teams, and finding out where everyone is at in terms of creating a market for these guys.
It’s not going to be hard to create a market. Particularly for guys like Santorelli and Winnik. Their cap hits are cheap, (and) a lot of these playoff bound teams and contenders have so little wiggle room under the cap that a guy like Santorelli is so appealing to them…
Now Franson is the big sell for Toronto if talks finally break down for good and I don’t think there’s anyway they’ll sign him. If they can get a second round pick and a good young player, I think that would be a good haul for Toronto here, and I don’t think they’ll have a hard time getting that.”
LeBrun thinks the Leafs might be able to first round pick for Franson, but it’s unlikely to come from the Red Wings, who are unwilling to trade their first.