MCCABE'S GOING TO FLORIDA, BUT WHO'S COMING TO TORONTO?

by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles

Sources close to the Toronto Maple Leafs are saying that Bryan McCabe has agreed to waive his no-movement clause in order to become part of a trade with the Florida Panthers.

Apparently, all the players involved in the trade have been agreed upon by Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher and Panthers GM Jacques Martin, but the trigger won’t be pulled on the deal until after McCabe is given his $2 million signing bonus by the Leafs on September 1^st. This would obviously save the Panthers some money.

The other players involved remain a mystery. Though sources say there will likely be a second player headed to Florida and the Leafs will receive at least one player rather than just draft picks. One rumour was that defenseman Jay Bouwmeester who recently refused to sign a long term deal with the Panthers was on the move, but that rumour was swiftly denied by Martin.

Another rumour is that the Leafs will receive defenseman Mike Van Ryn. Though this rumour has not been confirmed or denied, I see it as unlikely. The major reasons why McCabe is being dealt it because the Leafs are trying to built a younger and more defensive team and with the signing of Jeff Finger, the possibility of 2008 5^th overall draft pick Luke Schenn making the team, and the potential signing of Swedish defenseman Jonas Frogren, the Leafs have a defenseman to spare.

Van Ryn is more of an offensive defenseman, and with the likes of Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina and Anton Stralman on the point there isn’t any urgent need for the Leafs to gain another offensive defenseman. Van Ryn is younger than McCabe, but at 29 years of age, he’s no spring chicken either. He also may not be recovered from wrist surgery by the time the season starts, and the injury plagued Leafs probably won’t be willing to take on another injury prone player.

What other Leafs may be involved in the trade? Depending on who they get in return it could really be anybody. Besides newly acquired players Jamal Mayers and Curtis Joseph and starting goaltender Vesa Toskala, the only trade eligible player the Leafs have over 30 is Jason Blake. With the Leafs new youth movement, Blake could be on the move. The often injured, Carlo Colaiacovo and the underachieving Mark Bell are other players that may be involved.

The Leafs are most likely interested in obtaining a young two-way forward from the Panthers that could play anywhere on their top three lines. Here’s my list of the top 5 Florida Panther players that the Leafs would be most interested in:

5. Kamil Kreps – A 23 year-old center who showed strength defensively and promise offensively in his first full season last year.

4. Rostislav Olesz – A 7^th overall draft pick, the 22 year-old winger hasn’t performed to expectation offensively in his first three NHL seasons, but he plays aggressive while staying out of the penalty box.

3. Stephen Weiss – A very capable player at both ends of the ice. The 25 year-old center was also born in Toronto and may excel in front of his home town crowd.

2. David Booth – The 23 year-old winger had a phenomenal sophomore season proving that he can not only play a great physical game, he can also rack up the points.

1. Nathan Horton – It’s obvious why the Leafs would want this guy on their team. He can score, he can hit, he can play in his own end and he has the potential to be a super star if he had more offensive freedom. If the Leafs want to get him though, they’ll definitely have to give up more than just Bryan McCabe.