The Toronto Maple Leafs continued the execution of their rebuilding plan on Monday. After previously sending away team captain Dion Phaneuf in a deal with Ottawa and then moving winger Shawn Matthias to Colorado in a trade Sunday, the Leafs connected with the San Jose Sharks on a transaction that saw two more veterans leave Toronto.
Raffi Torres has played all of 16 NHL games since joining the San Jose Sharks in 2012-13, as suspension and injury have made him a non-factor. He’s on an expiring contract and pointless in six AHL games, and the Leafs promptly assigned him to San Jose’s minor-league team. His $2 million cap hit is simply in this deal to make the money work.
The real return is two second-round picks. Considering the players that the Leafs gave up—more on them in a moment—this is a massive win for Toronto. Whether the team ultimately makes these selections or uses them as trade chips down the road, second-round picks have significant value to a rebuilding team.
The caveat is that none of those picks is from this summer’s draft. ESPN’s Craig Custance tweeted out tha ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Roman Polak, Nick Spaling Not Worth Price San Jose Paid in Trade with Toronto
February 22nd, 2016 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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