The Toronto Maple Leafs have started sell mode. Meanwhile the Nashville Predators appear to be muscling up for the playoffs.
Nashville acquired Toronto defenseman defenseman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli for prospect Brendan Leipsic, a first round pick in 2015 and Olli Jokinen – who sadly cut his hair this weekend.
First off, the Toronto angle. Clearly, they’re blowing up the team and looking to send off tradable pending UFA pieces.
It’s obvious that Franson a 27-year-old 6-foot-3 right handed shooting blueliner was not going to be part of whatever they’re going to do. The same goes for the 29-year-old Santorelli who has 11 goals and 29 points this year.
So everyone else with an expiring contract for Toronto, you’re on notice.
Said Leafs general manager Dave Nonis to the Toronto Star
“Our goal was to get as high a pick as possible and a good prospect to go along with it,” Nonis said.
The Leafs are expected to stockpile as many high round picks and solid young prospects as possible as they being a franchise-wide rebound from an unacceptable meltdown in the standings the past six weeks.
“You look at the higher picks (in the first round) and there’s been some good players drafted in the 20s and higher (20th overall and higher), and it’s our goal to get that kind of player,” Nonis said.
In return, they got the 36-year-old Jokinen – a useless player for Nashville this season (in spite of his distinguished career) and a salary dump for the Preds at $2.5 million per-year – what will likely be a late first round pick in this year’s draft, along with the 20-year-old Leipsic, an undersized (5-foot-9) prospect who Nashville has touted as a Brad Marchand clone. He has 35 points in 47 games for the Milwaukee in the American Hockey league this year – his first as a professional.
Said Nonis on Leipsic to the Star:
“The only downside for Brendan (Leipsic) is he has to overcome his lack of size, but we’re seeing smaller players finding ways to play in this league more and more,” Nonis said.
The Predators get two solid depth pieces in the Sicamous, British Columbia born Franson – a good friend of Shea Weber’s – who can directly jump on the team’s second pair with Ryan Ellis out with an injury. Also, if Nashville wants to deal Ellis – a 2009 first round pick – for a center piece -- which I still think they badly need, they can do so. Currently the Predators have Weber, Franson, and Seth Jones and Ellis as right-handed shooting defensemen.
Is this a move that shows Nashville is going for it? Sure! And chemistry won’t be an issue since both Santorelli and Franson started their careers with the Predators. Plus, Weber wasn’t exactly too thrilled when Franson was traded to Toronto in a salary dump in 2011.
Plus it adds depth for the Predators up front. Jokinen wasn’t even playing and Leipsic didn’t figure into their plans for this year. This team has so many forwards it has shuttled Viktor Stalberg back and forth between the minors and the NHL. That’s a positive for the NHL-leading Predators.
The negative? Good luck signing Franson to a multi-year contract in the offseason like worth over $5 million per. Nashville has a great track record signing UFA cornerstoneish blueliners over the summer.
Though Nashville’s D has been hit with injuries, it doesn’t change the fact the Predators are weak at center for a playoff run. Mike Ribeiro as a first line center v. Ryan Getzlaf or Jonathan Toews in seven games? That should go over well. Ribs as a second line center? That’s a little different.
Either way – Nashville your team has the best record in the NHL and your GM is going for it and got better Sunday. Enjoy. As for the Maple Leafs, you got a nice little piece in Leipsic, and pray you win the lottery.
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