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Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke shook up the NHL today with two major trades. Unhappy being the cellar-dweller of the East (and 29th in the entire league), Burke shipped off six players from his underachieving team. In exchange, he received a kaleidoscopic mix of NHL standouts and prospects, most notably Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf and goaltender J.S. Giguere of the Anaheim Ducks. These two have combined for three All-Star appearances in their careers.
Phaneuf, taken 9th overall by Calgary in the 2003 draft, has been a disappointment so far in 2009, mainly due to the treatment he received from first-year coach Brent Sutter. Phaneuf's ice-time has taken a hit along with his stats. Well past the halfway point in the season, the 24 year-old has just 22 points. The lowest single season output of his career thus far: 47. While his goal pace remains constant, his number of assists has plummeted. After 55 games, he has tallied only 12 helpers, a huge dropoff even from his previous career low of 29, set in his rookie season. This can be blamed on his supporting cast. The Flames' power play is clicking at just 16.7%, ranked 23rd in the NHL, down from 18.2% in both 2005-06 (12th) and 2006-07 (11th). In both of those seasons, Phaneuf accounted for over 30 points with the man-advantage. Only Jarome Iginla and undrafted free agent Rene Borque have recorded more than 11 goals for the Flames, meaning the teammates Phaneuf is passing to are incapable of scoring. Few would have expected this to be said about a team with Olli Jokinen, who scored at least 26 goals in each of the last six seasons, including four campaigns with over 30 twine-ticklers. Phaneuf's physical style and willingness to fight perfectly fit the mold Burke is searching for.
In Burke's second trade of the day, he acquired Conn Smythe Trophy winner J.S. Giguere. Jiggy, who has started less than one-third of Anaheim's games thus far, is in the midst of a disheartening season as well. His 3.14 GAA and .900 SV% are the worst of his career since 1998-99, when he started just 14 games for the Flames. Forced into a backup role by the up-and-coming Swiss Jonas Hiller, who will represent his country in the Olympics, Giguere was in need of a change in scenery. Enter Brian Burke, GM of Anaheim during their Stanley Cup season of 2006-07. Mistrusting of his goaltenders' inexperience, Burke opted to deal netminder Vesa Toskala for Giguere, who has played in twelve Stanley Cup Finals games.
The Maple Leafs may have their hands tied financially for the next few seasons as a result of this trade. Phaneuf is set to make $25.5 million in salary alone over the next four seasons. Giguere will earn $7 million next year before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Toronto's salary cap woes likely forced Toskala ($4 million), Jason Blake ($4.5 million), and Niklas Hagman ($3 million) to be included amongst the players exiting the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The change of scenery will be pleasant for both players. Phaneuf had spent his entire career playing for Calgary, rivals of his hometown Edmonton Oilers. A trip across Canada wlll present a welcomed opportunity to escape the doghouse of Coach Sutter. Giguere has been looking for an escape of his own. Leaving Hiller's shadow and receiving a chance to compete for a starting role will be a fantastic situation for the Cup winner. Even better, he will be reunited with his old goalie coach, Francois Allaire. Brian Burke has managed to help his team with two blockbuster trades to kick off the month of February.
Special thanks to NHLnumbers.com (link located in the sidebar on the right) for the salary information.
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