dion
On January 31, 2010, the Calgary Flames dealt Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjöström and Keith Aulie to the Leafs in exchange for Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers. A move that will most probably shape the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs once again involved Calgary. Call it fate, call it coincidence, it really doesn't matter.
On June 14, 2010, Brian Burke named Dion the 18th captain in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs and that, more than any other transaction or move, signaled a new era for our beloved team. The Edmonton native became captain at 25 years of age, and although a vocal, running the dressing room type of guy, he still had to experience the expectations of a Maple Leafs captain first hand. I don't mean this as an insult, but Calgary is no Toronto.
Random talking points on a variety of topics including Giguere's shutout streak, a refreshing new attitude, the Schenn/Phaneuf connection, pending UFAs and more.
Prospect defenceman Keith Aulie:
"Aulie is a 6'6 defenceman playing for Abbotsford of the AHL. Our plans for Keith are for him to stay at the AHL level for the present, so he will report to the Marlies. This is a player who played on the national junior team and won a gold medal. Excellent skater for a big man, a guy we coveted and hard to work real hard to get into the deal. We think he's going to be a really good NHL player down the road for a long time. We think right now, like Calgary did, that from a development standpoint, he'll be better off logging big minutes in the American league.
