[RUMOR] Red Wings out on Phaneuf

[The Black Panther]

Just heard this on Leafs lunch(tsn 1050) as y the Phaneuf deal fell through.
AS PER Dreger: Wings offered Weiss, Smith & Pulkanen but the Leafs wanted Mantha instead of Pulkenan.

If this is true i dont umderstand why Leafs turned it down. I know they would take on more salary for the short term but it aint that bad.

Was amyone else listening?

[pmorrow]

Just heard this on Leafs lunch(tsn 1050) as y the Phaneuf deal fell through.
AS PER Dreger: Wings offered Weiss, Smith & Pulkanen but the Leafs wanted Morrow instead of Pulkenan.

If this is true i dont umderstand why Leafs turned it down. I know they would take on more salary for the short term but it aint that bad.

Was amyone else listening?

Wasn't it Mantha?

[Chico Resch]

Wasn't it Mantha?

I've heard that too. They wanted Mantha for Phaneuf, but that got out right denied. Of which, I cant say I blame the Wings for walking away.

[The Black Panther]

Wasn't it Mantha?

U r right I had Anthony Morrow on my mind.... crazy. Corrected.

[ericdaoust]

I think the Wings are happy with Zidlicky who didn't cost them much at all.

[Zorro]

Probably for the best because I'm sure E.Cuthbert would have slept with the Wings top line by the end of summer..

[ericdaoust]

Probably for the best because I'm sure E.Cuthbert would have slept with the Wings top line by the end of summer..

Plus Sean Avery started his career with the Red Wings.

[roenick27]

Just heard this on Leafs lunch(tsn 1050) as y the Phaneuf deal fell through.
AS PER Dreger: Wings offered Weiss, Smith & Pulkanen but the Leafs wanted Mantha instead of Pulkenan.

If this is true i dont umderstand why Leafs turned it down. I know they would take on more salary for the short term but it aint that bad.

Was amyone else listening?

Im guessing they didn't want to take any salary and wanted to clear space for youngsters to play? Other than that, I probably would've taken that if I were the Leafs. Pulkkinen would be a solid piece for them and Smith still has the potential to develop.

[kovalchuk17]

brendan smith is good but he doesnt appear to be a top 2 dman but probably top 4. leafs must feel they can get the same offer (if not better) in the offseason, hell they may not even need to take on a terrible contract.

if phaneuf (and bozak for that matter) arent gone by this offseason though, the leafs messed up.

[The Black Panther]

Gave: Wings' offseason to-do list includes another run at Toronto captain Phaneuf
KEITH GAVE

FOX Sports Detroit


MAY 06, 2015 1:31p ET

After finishing with 100 points and giving a heralded Tampa Bay club a scare in the opening round of the playoffs, the Red Wings know they're close enough to a serious postseason run that they don't have do anything major to their roster heading into next season.
But they might anyway.
Remember those rumors at the NHL's trade deadline in early March that Detroit was close to a deal for Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf? They're certain to be resurrected again soon as the Wings seek to upgrade their defense corps.
The Leafs are in the midst of a major reorganization -- from the front office to the coaching and scouting staffs and, especially, their player roster. They want desperately to unload some of their high-priced (and overpaid) talent like Phaneuf, who has six years to go on a deal that pays him $7 million a year.
That's an ungodly sum to pay a guy who scored three goals among 29 points and finished minus-11 in 70 games. And, in fact, the Wings won't pay that much. That's the kind of money teams pay their top-pair defenseman, and the Wings see him more as a No. 3-4 defenseman. So they want Toronto to absorb some of his contract. Preferably about $2 million a year, so the Wings would be on the hook for $5 million.
But this is a complicated deal that goes far beyond a meeting of the minds about how the clubs might share Phaneuf's salary burden. The Wings also would want to unload one of their bad contracts (read Stephen Weiss, who has three years remaining at a total of $16 million), and they're willing to include one of their bottom-tiered defensemen -- someone like Brendan Smith, as well as a lesser prospect -- to make the deal.
How close were the Wings to this deal in March? Dave Nonis, since relieved of his duties as Toronto's GM, said he could have made the deal for Phaneuf at the deadline. And the Wings know they were probably Toronto's only dance partner on this deal.
That Nonis is gone now doesn't mean the Wings would have to start at ground zero in talks with a new, yet-to-be-hired GM. This is one of those deals that went above his pay grade, involving Leafs President Brendan Shanahan, the former Wings star who remains steadfast in his desire to find a new home for his captain. Shanahan can make this deal in the absence of a GM.
One potential sticking point: Phaneuf has a no-trade clause in his contract. But a league source said Phaneuf would agree to a deal involving Detroit. "He wants to get out of that nut house in Toronto," the source said.
Whether Phaneuf would be a good fit in Detroit is another matter open for debate. One of the strengths of the organization has been the chemistry in the dressing room, thanks in large part to the outstanding leadership trio of Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall and Pavel Datsyuk, which coach Mike Babcock describes as "the best I've ever been around."
Phaneuf, 30, also known as Elisha Cuthbert's husband, would come with a rather checkered past. The 6-foot-3, 214-pound left-shot defenseman has put up some nice numbers in his career, starting with a 20-goal, 49-point rookie season with Calgary in 2005-06. He had 17 goals in each of his following two seasons. But his best season since then was in 2011-12, when he scored 12 goals and 44 points in 82 games with Toronto.
While he is fairly reliable defensively, he's been known to get caught out of position going for the big hit. But the biggest knock on him is his leadership acumen. It was on his watch in November, when the Leafs were slumping, that players headed straight off the ice and into their dressing room without the typical stick salute to fans. Some fans took it as a snub, which caused quite a stir on sports-talk radio and in newspaper headlines. That, of course, led some to suggest that Phaneuf is the wrong guy to be wearing the "C" -- ultimately resulting in serious trade talks with Detroit.
That leadership burden -- and it is a burden in a high-visibility hockey market like Toronto -- was thrust on Phaneuf when he was acquired in a seven-player deal with Calgary in January 2010. He won't have to deal with that in Detroit, with its trinity of leaders.
If the Wings swing this deal -- and the smart money suggests they will -- it will doubtless be the biggest thing they do to upgrade their roster in the offseason. But not the only thing.

[Laendarian]

well its pretty clear Toronto is going to move some players out, and I imagine Phaneuf is close to or at the top of that list.

In all honesty I think Phaneuf at 5M and as a #3-4 defenseman is actually good value, he's just not a first pairing corner stone defenseman like they were trying to use him in TO.

[Happy Hour]

Makes sense that Toronto wants to move him but I'd be surprised to see him end up in Detroit with their current mix of players.

[2014olympicgold]

5mill and Dion on line 2, and PP1 with Kronwall passing to him would be a really nice situation. No leadership needed by him either. Especially in a few yrs when L2 Dmen will be gardening like 6mill for an average player

[The Black Panther]

Where r we getting the 5m number? Dion's camp hit is 7m, no?

[Big Ev]

they should have moved Mantha for Phaneuf while they still could.