According to the Toronto Sun (via. Spector), Burke admits that the calls he's getting for his assets are starting to interest him. Just yesterday, Burke was asked whether Antropov was a trade asset, to which he replied "my priority is not to improve his trade value. My priority is to get him playing better so he can help the Toronto Maple Leafs win some games right now." Right. I think we're getting a little too wordy here.
Who Stays?
Dominic Moore - F - I don't care what Eklund thinks, Burke is not going to give away Moore. Doesn't matter what the 'buzz' is, I'm sure the interest to move Moore does not exist within the franchise. He is a superb role player who works hard and has decent hands. A perfect third liner; that is, if he's truculent and beligerent enough for Burke. He's quickly winning over the fanbase, and despite what rumour gatherers might hear about who may or may not be inquiring, he's probably one of the players who stays put through the rebuilding phase. That is, unless he can tangibly prove his intangible assets as a player (read: Mike Commodore at 4.3 mil, Ryan Malone at 4.5 mil) and seek money elsewhere.
Jason Blake - F - I just don't think anyone wants that contract, despite his recent strong play.
Vesa Toskala - G - Contract is a problem. As is the market for shaky goaltending. I think Burke fails with this one, but not for lack of trying.
Pavel Kubina - D - Burke will not part with both Kubina and Kaberle at once. Kaberle will bring the picks, Kubina will keep the team respectable.
Lee Stempniak - F - Burke won't want to hurt Fletcher's feelings by undoing his last move as interim-GM.
He'll let Stempniak show what he's worth next season.
Well that's just ridiculous! I thought Burke was going to burn this roster to the ground? Well, he may. But it won't all happen before the trade deadline. When the summer comes, the roster changes will continue.
Other shoo-ins for the stay list: Schenn, Hagman, Kulemin, May, Mitchell, Grabovski, Finger, Van Ryn.
Who Goes?
Nik Antropov - F - Perfect time to trade Nik to a market that contains no big-time forwards. A desperate GM will have to roll the dice on Nikky.
Tomas Kaberle - D -Will attract some seriously eye-popping offers. We'll never get a Jeff Carter offer again, though. *sniff*
Ian White - D - White's age, contract and strong two-way play makes him a nice addition to any team. Shouldn't bring much back in return, though.
Alexei Ponikarovsky - F - Will bring back a lot less in return than people expect, but likely to be traded.
Jamal Mayers - F - A lot tamer than the Mayers of past seasons. Might attract some interest from teams looking for leadership.
I Just Don't Know
Matt Stajan - F - I have no idea if Stajan is going anywhere. For the most part, he's avoided the trade talk because he's had a good season and is seen as a solid team player. Whether he fits into Burke's plans really remains to be seen.
Your Two Cents
At this point I'm going to ask you to put yourself in Burkes shoes. What do you do with this roster? What do you expect to get in return for our assets?
Offers to Burke Improving; Who Stays, Who Goes?
Pogge Auditioning Begins
SPORTSNET.ca is reporting today that the Leafs will start Pogge between the pipes when they face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Ron Wilson says that Pogge will then be returned to the AHL, and didn't specify when he plans to use him next.
This essentially turns Joseph into a lame duck backup goalie. He now knows that he's only around to fill the roster position, and so that Wilson doesn't necessarily need to force Pogge into playing, were Toskala to get injured or lose his starter's role.
Once again, Pogge is getting his chance to shine in another Leafs road game. You can expect Wilson to keep Pogge well clear of the boo-birds in the ACC for most of the season. Whether it's the experienced CuJo or the youngster Pogge does not matter; Leafs fans will boo a bad goaltending performance. A wise decision indeed made by Mr. Wilson as he tries to build up the young netminders confidence.
Word is that Pogge will be part of a rotation that will send him back and forth between the Marlies and Leafs. I can hardly expect, were Pogge to keep winning games, that returning him to the Marlies would be in the goalie's long term interest.
And if Toskala gets moved at the trade deadline, such a 'rotation' might not be between the NHL and the AHL but between the big club's bench and crease.
Kaberle Makes First Move in Fuelling Trade Rumours
Earlier today Tomas Kaberle was asked by reporters about his no trade clause, and he admitted that if asked, he would waive it. This isn't surprising to me, really. Kaberle knows that if he chooses not to waive it, he'll just be a lame duck with a team out of the playoffs.
For a guy who's career future probably doesn't lie in Toronto, that's not a very good game plan. Burke has the right to move Kaberle after the June draft (as well as Kubina) if the Leafs do not make the playoffs. Kaberle and Kubina know that they are both big parts of whether the Leafs make the playoffs, but they also know that they are not in the team's future plans.
I feel like the breaking point for these guys like Kaberle and Kubina was when it became apparent that Mats wouldn't be returning to the team this season. There's one thing all players want, and that is to win, and have some security. Without Mats, and within an organization that wants to restock its prospect cupboard, its not hard to see why Kaberle knows that his time in Toronto is reaching its end.
Like McCabe before him, Kaberle is likely to make a list of teams that he's interest in and present it to Burke, before he chooses to waive his no trade clause. I really don't expect this to happen any time soon, as I know Burke will first try to create a race throughout the league for his assets - Kubina, Kaberle, Ponikarovsky, Toskala, Antropov and perhaps Stajan.
To Leafs fans - I ask you to be patient with Burke. There will be lots and lots of rumours about potential trades in the upcoming weeks, but Burke knows how to play his cards right. He will wait until teams are desperate, and perhaps out of other options.
Leafs Rumour Mill for December 23rd 2008
Well, the trade freeze is in place at the moment, but the Leafs rumours keep churning.
I'm hearing strong reports that Justin Pogge will not remain as a backup to Vesa Toskala. He recently got the call due to an injury to Toskala, but the reason he got the start was more because "Burke wants to know what to do with both Joseph and Toskala, short term and long term".
Hmm. I imagine Burke is keen to figure out what Pogge's ETA is with the Leafs, and IF he's going to look for a backup to replace Joseph, for what length of contract.