Toronto Maple Leafs: The Long-Term Benefits of the Dion Phaneuf Trade
The Prospect and Draft Pick Acquired
Looking at the players the Leafs acquired in the deal, there is the possibility Cowen could be salvaged under Mike Babcock, but Greening and Michalek were seen as salary dumps in order for Ottawa to take Phaneuf’s contract. Not only do the Leafs get cap benefit from the trade, but they also acquired prospect Tobias Lindberg as well.
If you want to know more about Lindberg, take a look at the article posted by Jake Middleton on the young Swede. What is important about acquiring Lindberg was the fact he was an important part of the deal, much like Kapanen was in the Kessel deal.
Dir. of player personnel Mark Hunter had Tobias Lindberg "high on his list," Leafs targeted Lindberg as the one Sens prospect they wanted.
— Mike Halford (@MikeHalford604) February 9, 2016
Even if Lindberg does not turn out to be the prospect the Leafs were hoping for, they did acquire a second round draft pick in 2017 as well. It has been the major focus of the current regime to acquire as many draft picks and prospects in order to re-stock the once bare Leafs prospect cabinet.
What the Leafs have been able to move to other teams as a part of these major deals, has been lower to mid-level prospects. The Michael Grabner trade is a perfect example of that, where the team cleared out contract space by dealing prospects of no real high value, while giving the New York Islanders some cap relief.
The more deals like this the Leafs can make, the easier it will be to get the pieces they need, as they go through with the rebuild.
Next: Opportunities moving forward