The Toronto Maple Leafs made a splash in free agency and the trade market this summer, but the team's biggest moves could be on the horizon.
The list of Leafs with one or two years left on their current contract is a long one, which will give general manager Dave Nonis plenty of difficult decisions to make prior to next year's trade deadline.
According to TSN's Darren Dreger, one of those players who's been involved in trade rumors since the end of the regular season is Leafs captain and top defenseman Dion Phaneuf.
Why would Toronto trade Phaneuf?
Well, the 28-year-old has only one year left on his contract before he's eligible for unrestricted free-agent status.
Phaneuf's contract has a $6.5 million cap hit, per CapGeek, and it's unlikely that his next deal will have a smaller cap hit when there are so many teams in need of a top-pairing defenseman. On the open market, he would likely be a $7 million per-year player as a top-tier defenseman in his prime.
Re-signing Phaneuf to a long-term deal worth $6.5 million or more per season doesn't make sense for Toronto wh ...
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Article written by Nicholas Goss
Why Toronto Maple Leafs Should Explore Trade Options for Dion Phaneuf
August 9th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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