Sure, big trades and big signings are what drives the headlines, but what about the smaller, less sexy moves? How do they fit into the equation?

While not the most popular signings, sometimes a teams depth moves prove to be the best ones of the off-season, which brought to mind two players for me.

The players in question would be a pair of veterans who, while probably well past their prime, have made invaluable contributions to the St. Louis Blues organization, throughout the regular season and the playoffs.

Known for their leadership and maturity as much as their skills, both Jason Arnott (37) and Jamie Langenbrunner (36) signed similar one-year deals with the St. Louis Blues last summer.

Neither one was signed with the intention of playing top-six minutes, but the Blues management knew that either one could be relied upon to step up should one of their regulars succumb to injury or fall into a slump.

Drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round (seventh overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Arnott has a unique combination  of size (6’5” and 220 pounds) and speed which has served him well over his 17-year career.

To date, Arnott has 1244 regular season games under his belt, notching 417 goals and 521 assists for a total of 938 points. Arnott also brings 121 career playoffs games to the table, earning 32 goals and 41 assists for a total of 73 career playoff points—and counting.

Known for his scoring prowess early on in his career, Arnott has evolved into an effective two-way player who has only been a minus player three times since the 1998-99 season.

Adding to his already impressive resume, Arnott won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils, served as the Nashville Predators Captain from 2007 through 2010 and knows what it takes to be a winner.

Comparatively, Langenbrunner was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round (35th overall) of the same 1993 NHL Entry Draft as Arnott was selected.

At 6’1” and 202 pounds Langenbrunner has etched out a tremendous NHL career, serving mostly as a defensive forward, who also has some offensive punch.

Through 1,105 career regular season games Langenbrunner has registered 243 goals and 419 assists for a total of 662 points. Langenbrunner also brings 143 playoff games to the table, notching 34 goals and 53 assists for a total of 87 career playoff points.

Langenbrunner, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, served as the New Jersey Devils captain from 2007 through 2011 and was the captain of 2010 United States Olympic Hockey Team.

Clearly, after looking at both of these players’ resumes there are many parallels that can be drawn. Both Langenbrunner and Arnott bring a measure of Longevity, leadership, professionalism and respect from their peers to any NHL organization.

As such, aren’t they exactly the type of players that Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke should be looking to sign this summer?

One of the major contributors to the Maple Leafs woes last season was a lack of leadership. Burke knows it, the players know it and after a cup of coffee behind the bench, head coach Randy Caryle knows it.

When Burke was asked about the possibility about bringing in a veteran to help Captain Dion Phaneuf out in the leadership department at the seasons end presser Burke lamented that he may have to go that route.

While it may be a stretch for Burke to sign both Langenbrunner and Arnott, adding one of these forwards would be a huge step in the right direction and likely supply Phaneuf with some relief in the leadership department.

Not only would Arnott and/or Langenbrunner address the lack of leadership on the Maple Leafs roster, they could also mentor the likes of Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner and Luke Schenn—all of whom are in need of some tutelage in some shape or form.

Depending on the amount of interest Arnott and Langenbrunner garner from NHL clubs Burke could be looking at upwards of $3 million for either one of these players. While Burke’s budget is expected to be tight this summer, a $3 million investment in either one of these players could pay huge dividends and bring the Maple Leafs the leadership this team so clearly needs.

Yes, Burke needs to upgrade his goaltending and he could use another shut down defenseman and the forwards are in need of a re-tooling, but without the proper direction and leadership, what has Burke got?

A Langenbrunner or Arnott signing may not sell a lot of newspapers, but it says here it may be the smartest thing Burke does this summer.

Until next time,

Peace!

“We’ve met, but we’ve decided we’ll take our time and talk in the next few days over the phone,” Gillis said in a the Team 1040 interview today. “I think we all need to take a deep breath. The early exit from the playoffs, not meeting our expectations, can lead you to make some pretty poor decisions in a real hurry.”

Early reports had the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers making Luongo’s short list as teams he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to join. While it is very plausible that Luongo would include all three of those teams as places he’d be willing to play, there has been no confirmation.

On the surface, a trade to Toronto makes a lot of sense on both sides. For Toronto, they would get a legitimate all-star quality goaltender, who, despite his playoff struggles, could fill the void that Toronto has between the pipes.

For Luongo, he would be reunited with Francois Allaire (who once coached Luongo) and   Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke’s assistant Dave Nonis who brought Luongo to Vancouver.

Luongo (33) currently has ten years left on his contract which will see him earn nearly $54 million.

As far as Luongo’s salary goes, he is set to carry a $6.7 million salary from 2012-13 through 2018, $3.4 million for the 2018-19 season, followed by three very reasonable seasons at $1.6 million in 2019-20, $1.0 million in 2020-21 and $1.0 million in 2021-22. Each of those seasons carry a $5,333,333 cap hit.

With that in mind, the final three seasons of Luongo’s contract could be bought out by a team leaving them on the hook for around $43 million over six seasons.

That’s a lot of coin for any player, but when you consider the lack of alternatives between the pipes facing the Maple Leafs the financial risk might be worth the gamble.

While you have to respect Mike Gillis’ comment that he doesn’t want to make a foolish move, one has to think that the confirmation that Luongo wants to be traded and the fact that Cory Schneider looks to be ready to assume the number one role that the possibility that Luongo will be in a different uniform next season is very real.

Let’s face it,  the goaltending market is not flush with number one goaltenders. That said, there are plenty of decent backup options available to the Canucks. One option may be to bring soon to be Toronto Maple Leafs cast-off Jonas Gustavsson into the fold, while veterans Tomas Vokoun, Johan Hedberg, Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron and Brent Johnson would also make adequate backups.

So what would it take to land Luongo?

Initial reports suggest that the Canucks will be hard-pressed to land a player of significance due to Luongo’s hefty salary and cap hit.

That said, should Gillis manage to get a bidding war started I could see a second round draft pick and/or a mid-level prospect heading to Vancouver.

The good news is Burke has plenty of prospects to offer, and he has plenty of draft picks to dangle. The bad news is Burke and Gillis have a heated past, which may get in the way of a deal.

Would Burke be willing to kiss and make up with Gillis in order to land Luongo? You bet your arse he would! And, he’ll send Dave Nonis to Vancouver to kiss Gillis’ butt as well!

It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds for Luongo and the Maple Leafs. If I were a betting man I would lay down a $50 bet that Luongo will be traded at this years draft— new CBA agreement or no new CBA agreement. Whether he ends up in Toronto or not remains to be seen…

Until next time,

Peace!

During that press conference Burke made it abundantly clear that he wanted to make an upgrade between the pipes, which will likely see Jonas Gustavsson let go and James Reimer stay with the big club with an additional netminder being brought in to solidify the goaltending position.

As we have discussed here in other articles, there are very few goaltending options for Burke via free agency this summer, which means, if Burke is going to upgrade one of his goalies at the AHL level will have to shine during the pre-season or, more likely, Burke will have to acquire a goaltender via trade.

Anytime you talk about a goaltender being traded a few names continually pop up—Corey Schneider (who isn’t going anywhere), Jonathan Bernier (who is still relatively unproven) and Roberto Luongo.

After a shaky finish to the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Luongo rebounded with an excellent 2011-12 regular season, posting a record of 31-14-8 through 55 games to go along with five shutouts, a tidy .919 save percentage (fifth best of his 12 season career) and a more than respectable 2.41 goals against average (fourth lowest of his career).

While Luongo’s numbers are still amongst the leagues best, there are other numbers that concern every NHL general manager—his cap hit.

Luongo (33) currently has ten years left on his contract which will see him earn nearly $54 million.

As far as his cap hit goes, Luongo is set to carry a $6.7 million cap hit from 2012-13 through 2018, $3.4 million for the 2018-19 season, followed by three very reasonable seasons at $1.6 million in 2019-20, $1.0 million in 2020-21 and $1.0 million in 2021-22.

With that in mind, the final three seasons of Luongo’s contract could be bought out by a team, or Luongo could retire after seven more seasons, effectively eliminating his salary from the books.

So, what we are left with is this—six seasons at $6.7 million in salary and one season at $3.4 million. The cap hit for each of those seasons would be $5,333,333, same as the final three seasons.

Complicating matters further is the fact that Luongo has a no-trade clause, but when Luongo was interviewed this week, he said he would be willing to waive his no-trade, if the Vancouver Canucks asked him to.
With Burke identifying goaltending as an organizational need and many fans questioning James Reimer’s ability to be a true number one goalie, is there room in Burke’s budget to bring Luongo into the fold?

On the surface, no.

According to capgeek.com, Burke has approximately $56.7 million wrapped up in 17 players for the 2012-13 season. Based on today’s $64.3 million salary cap, that leaves Burke with little monies with which to make upgrades and/or sign his own free agents and restricted free agents.

At a cap hit just north of $5.3 million, adding Luongo to the mix would take some creative accounting and player movement, but hey, that’s why they pay Burkie the big bucks, right?

Rumors suggest that Burke may get some cap relief in the form of an increase in the cap ceiling via a new CBA agreement, while other rumors suggest the new CBA may include a one-time amnesty for NHL teams to buy out a player contract without penalty.

If one or both of these scenario’s came true, Burke might just bite the bullet and approach the Canucks about the possibility of bringing Luongo to Toronto. Outside of some favorable changes to the CBA, Burke could approach the owners of the Maple Leafs about burying another contract in the AHL, a la Jeff Finger, but that request will not be met without some level of resistance.

Of course, should Burke manage to pull off a deal for Luongo there will be plenty of praise and an equal amount of criticism thrown his way.

Make no mistake about it, for the most part, Roberto Luongo is a money goaltender during the regular season, but his playoff struggles are well documented, which may cause a number of NHL general manager’s and fans alike to question whether or not Luongo is worth the price tag he comes with and the headache he could become if he failed to perform.

One things for sure, with Corey Schneider emerging as a legitimate number one goaltender this season, the Vancouver Canucks must give serious consideration to trading Luongo.

As far as the price tag for Luongo goes, one has to believe that the cap relief the Canucks would get would be enough for Vancouver to consider the move—a player of great significance coming to Vancouver would seem unlikely.

Will Roberto Luongo be a Toronto Maple Leaf next season? Time will tell. One thing is for certain—the more you look around Burke has few options with which to upgrade his goaltending.

Burke knows he has a question mark between the pipes— the question is, does Burke think Luongo is the answer?

Until next time,

Peace!

Burke has already hinted at the fact that he will be looking to make an upgrade between the pipes but with few options available via the free agent market Burke will likely have to find his goaltender via the trade route.

One would have to think any goalie worth his weight would have to cost Burke at least $1.5 million. That said, Burke could chose to spend more than $1.5 million on a new goaltender, but with little wiggle room, there is every reason to believe Burke will continue to attempt to address his goaltending on the cheap.

While some rumors are suggesting Burke may try to take a run at acquiring goaltender Roberto Luongo from the Vancouver Canucks in the off season, there is little chance. At 33 years of age Luongo has probably played his best hockey already and with ten years and upwards of $54 million left to be paid on his contract there is too much risk associated in bringing in Luongo, even for the fat cats at MLSEL.

With few goaltenders available Burke may shift his efforts towards bringing in a defenseman, but with so much potential in his current defense corps and so much depth on defense within the system, it would seem unlikely that Burke would go down that road.

Which brings us to the forwards.

Zach Parise, Alexander Semin, Jaromir Jagr P-A Parenteau, Shane Doan and Ryan Smyth will likely attract the most attention, and by default the most money.

While Burke would love to add the likes of Parise to the Maple Leafs lineup, it is hard to imagine he will be able to outbid the likes of the New Jersey Devils ($22.4 million), Detroit Red Wings ($20.8 million) and Colorado Avalanche ($43 million) who all have huge cap space available this summer.

That means Burke will likely be looking to make some changes to his third and fourth lines, as the likelihood of attracting, or at least being able to afford, high-end talent looks to be pretty bleak at best.

We all know the Maple Leafs need some relief between the pipes, but there are also those that believe the Maple Leafs greatest organizational need is down the middle.

Veteran centres such as Olli Jokinen, Saku Koivu, Daymond Langkow, Jason Arnott and Brendan Morrison are not going to be on Burke’s short list, which means he will have to pick from an already mediocre list.

Boston Bruins centre Chris Kelly (31) would be a great acquisition for Burke. His 20 goals would be welcomed with open arms, as would his leadership, experience and truculence.

Outside of Kelly, Burke will be hard-pressed to find a great fit for his club. More likely, Burke will turn his sights to one of his prospects (Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne) to make the club out of training camp, or attempt to upgrade via the trade route.

On the wing Burke will have to make a decision on Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur, both of whom underperformed this season.

If he could manage to trade one of both of these players his cap restrictions would get some relief, which may lead him to get into the bidding for another winger.

On the left side Detroit Red Wings forward Jiri Hudler would make a nice addition, but it is very unlikely Detroit would allow him to walk.

Once again, high-priced options Ryan Smyth (who will probably re-sign in Edmonton) and Zach Parise look to be the best options, but Burke will not have the dough to compete for either one of those players?

On the right side New York Islanders forward P-A Parenteau (29) would be a nice fit, but does Burke have enough cap room to bring him into the fold?

Toronto’s own Joey Crabb (29) will also be a UFA this summer. When you consider his efforts this season it would seem Burke would like to re-sign him, but will Crabb return on the cheap?

With his personal problems seemingly now behind him Jordan Tootoo (29) could be an option for Burke. God knows the Maple Leafs could use Tootoo’s physical presence, and if he was afforded more ice-time he could potentially hit double digits in goals scored.

On the other side of the coin, should Tootoo relapse his “situation” could become a distraction to the room and huge story in the media, which Burke likes to avoid.

Colorado Avalanche forward David Jones (27) could also be on Burke’s radar, but with Colorado flush in cap space it will hard to outbid them for Jones’ services.

With the CBA agreement set to be renegotiated this summer, salary cap limits have never been more uncertain. That said, it is hard to imagine the players settling for anything less than what they already have, which suggests a raise of some kind is forthcoming.

Still, Burke will be hard-pressed to make significant player acquisitions this summer, so don’t expect any big moves unless they come via trade.

Until next time,

Peace!

The goaltender Burke once called “the best goalie not playing in the NHL” has been nothing short of mediocre since joining the Maple Leafs in 2009-10.

Through 107 career NHL games, Gustavsson assembled a 39-45-15 record to go along with a 2.92 goals against average and a paltry .902 save percentage. Gusatvsson had 17 of those wins this season (a career high) but outside of the four shutouts he earned, you never really got the feeling he was a legitimate number one goaltender.

With James Reimer on the shelf for much of the season Gustavsson was given every opportunity to snatch the starters role from Reimer’s hands. Instead, Gustavsson looks to have played himself out of Toronto.

“Positionally we have to look at the goaltending, it wasn’t good enough this year,” said Burke at his press conference. I think that James Reimer is the real deal; I think we can still plan on him being a number one guy, but we have to look at if we can bring in a guy that can bring us more options and more performance right from the get-go next year.”

If you take anything away from Burke’s statement it is that Reimer is still his guy and that, with no mention of Gustavsson, the Swedish sensation is as good as gone next season.

Gustavsson, an unrestricted free agent this summer, could be re-signed with the intention of having him play at the AHL level with the Toronto Marlies, but with young goalies Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas both in need of further development it would appear that Gustavsson will not be back at any level.

A quick look at this summers UFA’s reveals few options for Burke.

Sure, Martin Brodeur is an unrestricted free agent this summer, but you gotta believe the New Jersey Devils will re-sign him.

Retreads like Ty Conklin, Chris Mason, Dwayne Roloson, Scott Clemmensen, Brent Johnson, Marty Turco, Dan Ellis and Marty Biron will also be UFA’s this summer, but none of them look to be the type of goaltender that Burke is looking for.

With that in mind, the only UFA that Burke may have some interest in would be the Minnesota Wild’s Josh Harding or maybe the likes of Tomas Vokoun who is currently on the Washington Capitals injury list—but neither is very likely.

What it all means is if Burke wants to bring in a legitimate number one goaltender (or at least a 1A) he is going to have to find him via trade.

So, which NHL teams will be looking to shed a goaltender from their roster next season?

If things keep going poorly in Vancouver Roberto Luongo could become available, but with 10 years and nearly $54 million in cap hits (or about $47 million in salary) and a no-trade clause to boot, there is little chance Burke makes a move for Luongo—especially when you consider Luongo’s penchant for coming up small in a pressure-cooker environment.

I mean, if Roberto thinks Vancouver is a tough place to play, can you imagine how easily Luongo would get chewed up by the Toronto media? Forget about it!

Vancouver’s other goaltender, Cory Schneider, has long been the apple of many an NHL-GM’s eye, but it is hard to imagine the Canuck’s trading Schneider—especially if Luongo continues to struggle in the playoffs.

The other name that often gets mentioned in trade rumors is Los Angeles Kings prospect Jonathan Bernier.

With Jonathan Quick looking like a legitimate Vezina Trophy candidate for years to come, the Kings are set between the pipes. That means Bernier could be made available, for the right price.

Through 48 career games Bernier has assembled a tidy 20-17-5 record to go along with five shutouts, a 2.50 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.

Not exceptional numbers, but certainly better than anything Burke has been getting from his goalies, and certainly enough upside with which to build upon.

Born in Laval, Quebec, Bernier was drafted in the first round (11th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. At 23 years of age Bernier has paid his dues in the minors and looks to have all the tools to assume a number one role with an NHL team.

So, what would it take to land the likes of Bernier out of Los Angeles?

While not an easy question to answer, Toronto’s first round draft choice (fifth overall) in this years NHL Entry Draft would certainly be more than enough for Los Angeles to pull the trigger on a deal with Toronto. Of course, I would suspect that Burke would ask for Los Angeles’ second rounder as well (they do not have a first round draft pick this year), which will allow Burke to stockpile another solid prospect, but hardly the high-end talent he could get at number five.

Surely, shipping out the fifth overall pick would not be popular in Toronto. But when you consider Toronto’s greatest organizational need is a goaltender, perhaps Bernier would be worth the price tag.

I guess that’s what it all comes down to. If you feel the greatest organizational need is a centre you hold onto the fifth overall pick and take a shot at Alex Galchenyuk, or Radek Faksa. If it is goaltending, Burke has the option of approaching Los Angeles.

With the exception of James Reimer’s cup of coffee with the big club, Toronto hasn’t had a legitimate young goaltender between the pipes since Felix “the cat” Potvin.

The time has come for Burke to make a bold move, that move should be the acquisition of Bernier at just about any cost. You want Kadri? No problem? Need a defenseman? How about Luke Schenn? You need that fifth overall draft pick? Sure thing!

In today’s NHL you do not win hockey games without a legitimate goaltender. With James Reimer’s future in doubt, Bernier would be a solid addition for the Maple Leafs, and perhaps the final piece in making Burke’s playoff dreams a reality.

Until next time,

Peace!

The Oilers good fortune aside, the rest of the order remained the same, which means Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke will select fifth overall.

With the fifth pick in this summers draft, Burke has plenty of options available to him. Burke could look to move up in the draft, he could attempt to acquire some additional draft picks by moving down, he could flat out trade the pick away, or he could stick with the number five pick.

Make no mistake about it, at fifth overall Burke should be able to acquire a player who may not be able to contribute right away, but should blossom into a legitimate top-six forward or top-four defenseman.

TSN’s Craig Button posted his mock draft Tuesday night, which shows the Maple Leafs selecting American forward Alex Galchenyuk.

Galchenyuk posted 31 goals and 52 assists for a total of 83 points in 68 games played with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting in 2010-11, but was hampered by a knee injury this season, limiting him to just two games. Galchenyuk bounced back from his injury with a solid playoff contribution, scoring four points in six games.

Injuries aside, Galchenyuk is a dynamic forward, who skates well, has good size and excellent hands—especially in close. Playing for Team USA, Galchenyuk played well at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka tournament and looks to have all the tools to be a first line forward in the NHL.

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Galchenyuk was selected first overall in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection Draft. At 6’2” and 185 pounds, Galchenyuk has the size to go along with his impressive skill-set, which should make him a force to be reckoned with at the NHL level for years to come.

Should Burke be lucky enough to see Galchenyuk’s name on the board when the fifth pick rolls around he should jump all over him, if not, there are other options.

Swedish sensation Filip Forsberg might be available at number five. He too brings a tremendous combination of size and skill, but he is not seen to be the goal scoring threat that Galchenyuk will be.

Finnish born Teuvo Tervainen is small in stature (5’11, 161 pounds), but he more than makes up for his lack of size with eye-popping speed and superior puck handling skills. While not the type of player Burke usually gravitates to, Tervainen has been compared to NHL future Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne and we all know what type of career he has had in Anaheim.

Of course there is a chance that Burke could use the pick to further solidify his defense, with names like Jacob Trouba, Matt Dumba and Morgan Rielly all likely available.

Burke’s affection for U.S. born players is well documented. With the potential of Galchenyuk being available at number five and the Maple Leafs need for a creative centre, it would appear that, unless Galchenyuk is selected in the top-four, which is a very good possibility, Burke will pull the trigger and select Galchenyuk.

Don Cherry won’t be happy, but the fans of the Maple Leafs and Brian Burke will be giddy if Burke lands Galchenyuk at the draft.

Until next time,

Peace!