While big names like Olli Jokinen, Mark Recchi and Bill Guerin went elsewhere on NHL trade deadline day, Leafs Nation must be content with a bunch of upcoming draft selections and the knowledge the Toronto Marlies also got some depth.
Of course, the most curious news of the day was the acquisition of beleaguered Senators goalie Martin Gerber, ostensibly brought in to replace starter Vesa Toskala, who has been shut down for the season with a groin injury. The question that must be asked, of course, is why? Curtis Joseph and Justin Pogge may not be great netminders this season, but in case the Leafs brass hasn’t noticed, there’s not a lot of hope of making a playoff run this year.
Brian Burke claimed Gerber would help the Buds win some games and, fair enough, that may be true. But the dark side of me would like to point out that losing a bunch of games from here on out and getting closer to the top of the draft board wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
But I digress. The two major deals involving the Leafs yesterday saw forwards Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore shipped out for draft picks. Antropov will join the New York Rangers on Broadway and netted the Buds a second-round selection and a conditional pick. Moore, one of the team’s best forwards, will take his feisty game down the QEW to Buffalo, where the Sabres are life and death to make the playoffs. The Leafs received another second-round pick in return, boosting their total to two from none.
In one of the stranger deals of the day, Toronto acquired a fourth-round pick from Tampa Bay, bringing the selection haul to four. The actual deal went as such: Toronto sent minor league defenceman Richard Petiot to the Lightning in exchange for goalie Olaf Kolzig, defencemen Andy Rogers and Jamie Heward and the aforementioned pick. All three are free agents this summer and none will factor into the Leafs’ plans. Kolzig and Heward, in fact, are both injured long term and Kolzig will likely retire at season’s end.
So why make the trade? Ah, the answer as old as time — money. The Buds have tons of it, Tampa Bay not so much. Essentially, the deal can be broken down in the simplest of terms: Toronto paid a couple hundred grand to acquire a draft selection.
And when your team is so rich that it’s building its own condos, why not?
