Phaneuf, Giguere to Toronto
Toronto GM Brian Burke has continued with the shake up in Toronto, landing two center pieces to compliment Phil Kessel. In separate deals, Burke landed stud defenseman Dion Phaneuf (with former Ranger Frederick Sjostrom and Keith Aulie) in exchange for Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, and Ian White. In the second deal, Toronto acquired Jean-Sebastian Giguere from Anaheim in exchange for Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake.
This means one thing to Rangers fans, that the Flames/Rangers rumors never included Phaneuf. They are most likely centered around a cheaper alternative to secondary scoring, someone like Craig Conroy. I have pipe dreams of Rene Bourque, but I don’t see this happening.
With these two major dominoes falling, expect a flurry of activity before the roster freeze, and expect the Rangers to be involved (more on that coming later).
By Bettman's Nightmare, January 31, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
Rene Bourque would be a dream player; we could really use that booming shot.
By Jeremy, January 31, 2010 @ 4:56 pm
Phaneuf is a hell of a player, but I can’t see his addition alone helping the Leafs make a playoff run. If Giggy plays out of his mind (Which he is capable of) then there is a chance.
By Dave, January 31, 2010 @ 5:57 pm
It won’t help them this year, but it sets them up very nicely for next year. They have a very good goalie and a solid blue line now.
I wrote an article for SSP about it, it will be up tomorrow.
Bettman's Nightmare Reply:
January 31st, 2010 at 6:52 pm
At least, they hope Giguere is a good goalie again, as much as they hope Phaneuf becomes a better defenseman again.
Conventional thought is that reuniting with Allaire will do the trick, but he’s had rough years with and without Allaire, so it remains to be seen if he’s officially going to turn it around.
Phaneuf is puzzling; his effectiveness in the offensive end has steadily declined over the last 5 years. If it’s mental, some of these guys come out hot after the trade but sink back into their old ways.