Monday Morning Musings with Me, "The Big E": Toronto Maple Leafs Rumors & More

I wrote an article a little while ago on the subject of trades being made. More than a couple happened before the Olympic roster freeze. 

While even I couldn't have predicted the magnitude of the deals that Brian Burke pulled off in the following days, I think that somewhere in the neighborhood (I don't have the exact numbers in front of me) of 20 players—both NHL and other—have changed teams since that article was published.

There are still a few players on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster that could find themselves on other teams before the March 3 NHL trade deadline.

Tomas Kaberle

Although he has seen greatly diminished ice time since the arrival of Dion Phaneuf, Kaberle continues to lead the team in scoring with 46 points. He has been the subject of trade rumors for the last three seasons, but thanks in large part to his no-trade clause, has yet to be moved.

I see no reason that he should be. He is a very valuable player and can be even more so when it comes to helping usher in the crop of youngsters that are currently on the team and in the system.

Having said that, the rumors persist. One of the rumors sees Kaberle, along with teammate Alexei Ponikarovsky, being shipped off to the Flyers for Jeff Carter and a third round draft pick.

This would be a good fit for both teams. It would give the Leafs a bona fide No. 1 center while Kadri continued his development, and it would give the Flyers some much needed scoring from the back end, as well as a perennial 20-goal scorer in Ponikarovsky.

Speaking of Ponikarovsky, it has also been rumored that the Tampa Bay Lightning would be interested in acquiring the services of the one-time member of Toronto's "Sky Line" that included Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov.

However, any deal between Toronto and Tampa for Ponikarovsky would likely involve draft picks coming to Toronto rather than a player exchange.

Lee Stepniak

At age 27, Stepniak is still relatively young and still shows promise. He has a great work ethic and shows great poise when going to the net.

However, his trouble has always been that he can't seem to put the puck in the net in key situations and will often completely miss an open net. This would indicate that he hasn't yet learned how to play under pressure.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are also rumored to be interested in him.

Rickard Wallin

Wallin is also garnering interest from a couple of NHL teams. Having struggled all year, he seems to be finding a role as a penalty killer with new comer Fredrik Sjostrom. Freddy is showing promise and could be packaged in a deal to the Florida Panthers with Ponikarovsky or Stepniak for Nathan Horton and a late first or early second round pick.

Garnet Exelby

Exelby made it known in late January, along with former teammate Jamal Mayer, that he would be willing to relocate. Due to a surplus of defense on the Leafs roster, Exelby has often been the odd man out and feels that at just 28-years old, he still has something to offer.

Unfortunately for him, there aren't alot of other teams on the same page. If Burke is unable to move him by the deadline, Exelby will likely find himself on waivers March 4.

There may be as many as a dozen players around the league that are on the radar of the Toronto Maple Leafs. While there is no shortage of speculation, one thing is clear: There is a plan unfolding here, and fans should be filled with hope and anticipation.

Burke was quoted in January as saying that although there has been no shortage of teams enquiring about a lot of Leafs players, at that point, most of the potential suitors were offering garbage for players that he still saw some value in.

If there is one thing that I have learned since hiss arrival in the "Big Smoke," it's this: Do not underestimate Brian Burke.

There has been a lot made lately of the NHL and specifically their involvement in the Olympic games. Here are my thoughts:

The NHL will do everything in its power to ensure the tradition continues simply because it make sense for the league almost no matter how you look at it. The one constant issue that comes to the surface is injuries. While widely unpublicized, (under order by the NHL no doubt), owners are collectively praying that players representing their nations in the games don't suffer any kind of injury.

As proud as they must be of their players, they do have to think about the team. In my opinion, as much admiration as I have for the man, Steve Yzerman completely blew the call when it comes to Ryan Getzlaf. He should have been sent home to heal properly, especially when there was a perfectly healthy and capable Jeff Carter already there.

Now, we not only will watch a player in the Games that we know is not playing to his full potential, but I for one will worry about his ankle and the potential of his suffering a season-ending injury to it all because of pride.

If, the NHL in the new CBA decides to continue this relationship, there has to be a mechanism in place to not only protect the players from themselves and their pride, but also to protect the teams and the fans.

I doesn't have to be complicated, as simple as this: If an NHL player, (or any player) suffers an injury of any kind within a 30-day period leading to the Games, they will automatically be unavailable to play.

I'm proud of my country, I'm proud of the players who represent me at the Olympics, but playing with an injury on perhaps the grandest stage of all, just isn't fair to anyone.