- Hope Smoke: Darren Dreger on TSN: “Leafs didn’t hit the homerun in moving Phaneuf or any big pieces, but based on what they had to work w/ I think they’re satisfied.” “Phaneuf could have been traded yesterday. Was enough interest from Det, but would have been basically giving him away & taking on a bad contract like Weiss to make that work.” “If you’re not convinced you won’t get a better deal in the summer then you make that deal, but obviously Nonis wasn’t convinced” “There wasn’t much, in fact there wasn’t any, interest in Bozak or Kessel yesterday. Leading up to yesterday there was a lot in both” “A couple of teams had serious trade negotiations . Discussed framework & what players it would take”
“I don’t know the exact details of what Tor was looking for, but I was told it was a 1st rnd pick & either Mantha or a like prospect” “To sweeten it, to make it worth Toronto’s while Detroit would have to throw in something they didn’t want to throw in” “Talking to Holland last week he said he was going to do everything in his power to hold onto his 1st & 2nd rounder ” “The price was just too high for Holland to make the deal with the Leafs”
Dreger on Roman Polak: “what we need to know what the asking price for Polak was” “In Polak I think the Leafs recognize what they have: 1. he’s a good D. 2. he’s a guy you want around your young players” “Have to have players in your lineup. Can’t just fold tent & go home. Why Brewer was brought back. Need NHL players on the ice” “To make a Polak deal I think the Leafs needed to at least get a 1st rnd pick & something else to have it make sense”
- Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger on TSN 690 on the Canadiens and Lars Eller leading up to the draft.
“It was out there, but I think it was more out there in the days leading up to the trade deadline. And that’s not unusual.
“Maybe Bergevin was using Eller – and to a degree Emelin – as trade bait. I mean, at one point fellas, a couple of weeks ago there was a rumour linking the Anaheim Ducks and the Montreal Canadiens. Emelin for Cam Fowler as part of the main pieces of that deal.
“Whether or not there was any serious discussion on that, we may never know. We may never know. Because one thing managers are always loathe to do is talk about the players that they had in play but weren’t able to find new homes for – that they weren’t able to find the right fit. Bergevin is not going to do that with either Emelin or with Lars Eller.
Dreger on TSN 1050 on Chris Stewart and the Bruins.
“I mean, obviously Tim Murray overplayed his hand. He just did. And when there was absolutely no takers and the bell was about to ring at 3:00 Eastern, he went to a good friend in Chuck Fletcher and said, ‘Man, you’ve got to help me out. Give me something.’ And he got a second round pick in 2017.
“I know that Boston at one point, I believe, offered Spooner – who’s a pretty good player, I think. That wasn’t yesterday or recently. I think that’s awhile back and Buffalo rejected.
“So sometimes you overplay your hand and you get caught a bit.”