This morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced a significant roster shake up in the form of two trades with the Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks.

Trade 1

To: Toronto Maple Leafs
Dion Phaneuf
Fredrik Sjostrom
Keith Aulie

To: Calgary Flames
Matt Stajan
Nik Hagman
Ian White
Jamal Mayers

Trade 2

To: Toronto Maple Leafs
J.S. Giguere

To: Anaheim Ducks
Jason Blake
Vesa Toskala

So there you have it, the Leafs swap out six players for four new ones (Aulie will report to the AHL Toronto Marlies).

Classy Breakdown

Today’s press conference that saw Brian Burke announce the trades generated stupid questions (yes – Toronto reporters are still asking if Burke will trade Tomas Kaberle) and a great Burke quote when asked about the Leafs salary cap position (prior to the 2nd deal being announced): ”Like a new pair of underwear… uncomfortably tight.”

On a serious note, I find the Leafs acquisition of Phaneuf pretty interesting. This trade marks Burke’s second trade in less than a year that see’s a star player coming to Toronto with baggage. I’m not trying to rain on the trade – it’s a good trade for both teams (Calgary now, the Leafs in the future), but it’s well acknowledged that Phaneuf was having trouble inside the Calgary dressing room. I don’t know the specifics – whether it was players, coaches, etc… – but I’m aware that a lot of Phil Kessel’s teammates weren’t terribly fond of him either.

Regardless, the fact remains Burke paid a heavy price to get Phaneuf. Say what you want about Matt Stajan, but he was and is a solid second line center. He was on pace to score 55-60 points with the Leafs this season. Including Ian White in this trade is a big blow for the Leafs too. He was probably been the most consistent performer for the Leafs all season and for most of last year as well. He played well offensively and defensively for Toronto. It will be interesting to see how the team does without him.

The fact that Calgary was willing to part with Keith Aulie and Dion Phaneuf tells me they see Ian White as part of their future. At least that’s my assumption. I’d expect a contract extension will be announced prior to July 1st. While it remains to be seen how well Sjostrom fits in with Burke/Ron Wilson, I expect Phaneuf to be a great Leaf. He’s exactly what Burke stands for and should help other defencemen like Luke Schenn and Francois Beauchemin simplify their respective games. In my opinion, Beauchemin is still trying to do too much.

There were a few interesting events and signings that lead to both trades. Take a look at the timeline of these deals:

• June 27/09 – The Flames trade for and sign Jay Bouwmeester, putting Phaneuf’s future with Calgary in question.
• July 7/09 – The Leafs sign Jonas Gustavsson after pursuing him all summer (along with many other teams) and officially give up on Vesa Toskala in the process.
• September 1/09 – Burgundy bets Fantana Phaneuf is no longer a Flame by the 2010 draft.
• October 1/09 – Burgundy bets Fantana the Ducks trade Giguere this season.
• January 28/10 – Jamal Mayers (and Garnette Exelby) both make public trade requests.
• January 30/10 – Anaheim Ducks resigns Jonas Hiller to a four year contract extension signifying Giguere is no longer part of the Ducks future.
• January 31/10 – The big trades happen and Burgundy is proclaimed a genius by Fantana.

As I said above, this deal helps Calgary now, while it will serve Toronto better in the long run. Of course, the main thing we’ll base this trade around Dion Phaneuf and how he plays as a Leaf. Phaneuf has always been at his best when playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’ll certainly have a big one now. Welcome to the big stage, Dion.

Stay classy, Brian Burke.

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