[RUMOR] Red Wings out on Phaneuf

[4horsemen]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/m...-move-phaneuf/

Gotta think his value has gone up after Coburn (more comparable than Yandle) went for a 1st + 3rd + Gudas

haha, yeah that valuation threw me for a bit of a loop but once again, his cap hit next year is quite attractive compared to Phaneuf. Any GM worth his salt will factor cap hit significantly into his player valuations.

[VintageVibe]

haha, yeah that valuation threw me for a bit of a loop but once again, his cap hit next year is quite attractive compared to Phaneuf. Any GM worth his salt will factor cap hit significantly into his player valuations.

No doubt about it - hopefully the leafs eat a mil or two of his cap and get a better return than Coburn garnered... not gonna need the cap over the next few years with the young kids coming up and gaining experience at entry level contracts...

[Kofax]

Do you think that Dion's value has gone up since Toronto acquired him? I'm wouldn't call myself 'down on him', I'm just stating what I feel will be market value.

It doesn't matter to me in the least that he's played tough minutes against top lines, his usage on a very weak (arguably the weakest?) defense holds no bearing whatsoever on how he'll be used elsewhere. Toronto paid him like a 1st pairing (top d-man) guy and I'll eat my hat if he's ever that on a team that wins the cup while using him in that role. He's be a great 2nd pairing guy but his pay check indicates he's more than that and there is where his value falls off. If he had a 5 mil cap hit he'd be golden!

Absolutely his value has gone up since Calgary. He's lost some of his offense but greatly improved his defensive game. I know he continues to produce glaring mistakes here and there, but the majority of the time he is eating tough minutes and helping keep more pucks out of his teams net then his mistakes are allowing to go in.

Yes his contract hurts his value, but there was no choice for the Leafs really. At the time they still considered themselves a young team in contention and there was no way they could have replaced him, so they paid him what they had to. It was that or lose him to free agency where someone would have signed him to even more. I guarantee that many other teams would have handed out the same contract in the same situation. They were screwed.

And ya, I agree he'd be a great number 2 and would thrive behind a top defenseman like Doughty or Weber where he can focus more on his offense, but there aren't enough top guys like that to go around, so Phaneuf gets slotted in there. I don't think you can name 60 defensemen that bring more than Phaneuf, let alone 30. (EDIT: If you factor in cap hit, then I guess it gets murkier. Best defensemen per $? Quite a bit more subjective at that point though. It might be that I don't think the cap hit is as big a deal as it should be. Damn economics. Why can't we just stick to hockey?)

He doesn't get a fair assessment in Toronto being the hotbed that it is. His contract hurts his value, but he deserves more credit than he gets. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

[rataylor22]

Leafs asking for Brendan Smith in return.

Also, say what you will about Eklund but he's caught lightning before. I became friendly with him during 2004-05 lockout.

"Caught Fire?" He throws as much shit on the wall as possible. Sometimes something sticks.

Typical Eklund rumor:

"I'm hearing the Leafs may be willing to trade Phanuef, and some of the other 29 teams in the league are interested. If Phanuef is moved, I'm betting he will go to 1 of the other 29 teams".

He's awful, and doesn't know jack shit.

[4horsemen]

Absolutely his value has gone up since Calgary. He's lost some of his offense but greatly improved his defensive game. I know he continues to produce glaring mistakes here and there, but the majority of the time he is eating tough minutes and helping keep more pucks out of his teams net then his mistakes are allowing to go in.

Yes his contract hurts his value, but there was no choice for the Leafs really. At the time they still considered themselves a young team in contention and there was no way they could have replaced him, so they paid him what they had to. It was that or lose him to free agency where someone would have signed him to even more. I guarantee that many other teams would have handed out the same contract in the same situation. They were screwed.

And ya, I agree he'd be a great number 2 and would thrive behind a top defenseman like Doughty or Weber where he can focus more on his offense, but there aren't enough top guys like that to go around, so Phaneuf gets slotted in there. I don't think you can name 60 defensemen that bring more than Phaneuf, let alone 30.

He doesn't get a fair assessment in Toronto being the hotbed that it is. His contract hurts his value, but he deserves more credit than he gets. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

All fair points in and of themselves but many do not relate to his value. Why or how Toronto signed him to that contract is of no concern at this point.

If the Leafs eat cap then his value goes up substantially and that's a distinct possibility but at that point you're not trading 'Phaneuf' strictly speaking, you're trading 'Phaneuf + retained cap hit'.

[Big Ev]

"Caught Fire?" He throws as much shit on the wall as possible. Sometimes something sticks.

Typical Eklund rumor:

"I'm hearing the Leafs may be willing to trade Phanuef, and some of the other 29 teams in the league are interested. If Phanuef is moved, I'm betting he will go to 1 of the other 29 teams".

He's awful, and doesn't know jack shit.

He's good for FLyers news.

[Kofax]

All fair points in and of themselves but many do not relate to his value. Why or how Toronto signed him to that contract is of no concern at this point.

If the Leafs eat cap then his value goes up substantially and that's a distinct possibility but at that point you're not trading 'Phaneuf' strictly speaking, you're trading 'Phaneuf + retained cap hit'.

I still think his value is more than what you give him credit for. I personally don't think the Leafs should need to retain much of his salary to make him appealing or useful to a team, but it sounds like I would be in the minority there. Wherever he ends up, I wouldn't be surprised if he begins to light it up and make it look like a horrible trade for Toronto. I get the feeling Toronto will likely end up in a poor light for this trade no matter how it shakes out, but part of that is everyone's love of piling on the Leafs as well.

[Zorro]

Once Bobby Mack or D.Dreger announce the trade on TSN, then Kypreos will announce it a few minutes later on Sportsnet..

[jcairns]

I don't understand why so many people are so down on Dion. He is putting up excellent statistics, regular and advanced, for being the top defenseman on a poor team and consistently playing tough minutes against the oppositions top lines. If he had the same cap hit as Yandle, I would have expected him to fetch more.

Agreed. I've never understood it. He's just someone to blame for a bitter Leafs nation.

[4horsemen]

Agreed. I've never understood it. He's just someone to blame for a bitter Leafs nation.

That's a very broad and somewhat condescending statement towards an entire fan base.

Anyone who puts the blame for a failed franchise on the shoulders of one player is an imbecile, Leafs fan or otherwise.

[VintageVibe]

Apparently the latest is the Wings have backed off - not willing to meet the price the Leafs are asking for Dion.

“@Real_ESPNLeBrun: As of now, Wings feel price too high on Phaneuf. Won't go anywhere unless price drops.”

[vonderpibe]

They just traded for Zidlicky, apparently. I guess that rules out Phaneuf to Red wings.

[Zach Hopkins]

Detroit officially out. Besides Zidlicky deal, Holland tells Detroit Free Press "all done" per St. James

[LawMan]

My guess is the Zidicliky trade is the end of the Phaneuf rumours. Given the size and length of the contract plus the uncertainty surrounding the cap seems like a trade is more likely at the draft.

[havanablast21]

Ah well CRAP!