Breaking Rumor! Pens and Leafs?

by Micheal Aldred on February 26, 2009 in Uncategorized - 459 Comments

Turns out, there’s speculation that the trade between Anaheim and Pittsburgh was an inadvertent 3 way trade with the Maple Leafs. That’s right, that big Ryan Whitney trade was for the bigger picture.

The rumor has Tomas Kaberle and a forward, believed to be Matt Stajan, going to the Penguins in exchange for Jordan Staal and Eric Tangradi. The move also gives the Ducks the opportunity to move out one of Pronger or Niedermayer, while it is believed the Niedermayer brothers could be on their way to New Jersey, surprise surprise.

Why this trade makes sense:

The Leafs would finally get their number one centerman with Mitchell and Grabovski filling in the 2nd and 3rd line roles, and land a great prospect who, you guessed it, was drafted by Burke himself in 2007. Tangradi has grown into what is considered the ideal power forward… wait a minute, this sounds familiar, wasn’t Burke trying to swing a deal with Boston to bring in Blake Wheeler, another power forward? Yes, that’s right; Burke is going about the right way in getting the type of player he wants.

It’s believed the Penguins wanted to get a deal done with Toronto, but as Burke demanded a top prospect, something the Penguins are short on after their trade last year for Hossa, they had to ship out Whitney to get it.

The breakdown, if the trade happens, would look like this:

Pittsburgh Adds: Kaberle, Stajan, Kunitz
Pittsburgh Drops: Whitney, Staal
Toronto Adds: Staal, Tangradi
Toronto Drops: Kaberle, Stajan

No word as of yet if a pick is also involved, but I for one would find this speculated deal to be rather interesting for both sides, and would definitely be a Brian Burke type trade. The Leafs would receive a gifted centerman locked up for similar dollar figures as Kaberle, and get a young up and coming prospect who could be their number 1 or 2 winger for years to come.

What are your thoughts on all the speculation? One thing is for sure, this, my friends, is the most wonderful time of the year. The Hockey holiday – 6 Days Away.

Micheal A. Aldred
[email protected]

Tags: Anaheim, Blake Wheeler, Boston, burke, Eric Tangradi, Jordan Staal, Matt Stajan, Micheal A. Aldred, National Hockey League, new jersey, Pittsburgh, player, power forward, Ryan Whitney, Tomas Kaberle, Toronto, Toronto Maple Leafs, winger Print article