The Final Hour

I will miss Wade Belak. Guy's got personality.

Moreover, wouldn't it be strange for a very soft Leaf team to make only one move and get rid of their enforcer?

So there's got to be more to come from Cliff Fletcher, right? Gotta be.

Interesting, meanwhile, that the Leafs got more for Belak - a fifth rounder - than the sixth rounder Ottawa gave up for Martin Lapointe, and Lapointe is being touted as a big addition by some to the Sens situation.

The Washington Capitals, on the other hand, have turned into the most surprising team of the deadline, adding goalie Cristobal Huet, winger Matt Cooke and centre Sergei Fedorov at the same time they currently sit outside of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

It's not that risky for the Caps to do this, given they haven't given up much. But compare that with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are about the same distance from the post-season but have dumped Adam Foote and Fedorov.

There's a Marian Hossa deal still to come, most believe, plus other smaller moves. Best guess? At day's end there will be 20 or more deals, and it seems likely that both Anaheim and Detroit will have something to say by the deadline.

Comments

[Remi]

I'm very sad to see that Fletcher traded Belak.Toronto has nobody that can fight like Belak.I hope Fletcher makes a trade and gets a very tough player who knows how to fight like Belak.Toronto definitly needs a good rough player like Belak.

[Craig Dori]

Are you kidding me?? This is what Mr. Fletcher comes up with? This team is already too soft, and has had things handed to them physically many times.. Most of which were nights that Belak was not in the line-up? Why Maurice leaves him out of line-up against Philly... HUH?
So much for being a team player! Let's make him a defenceman.. Now let's make him a forward.. back to defence.. back to forward.. All the while he reamined loyal, did not complain, and when called upon to take on some other team's tough guy, there he was! Also, I might add, one of the most popular players on the team.
So all Mr. Fletcher can come up with (so far, with about 15 minutes left) is trading him away. Marvelous... So when is the next GM coming in?
Good Luck in Florida Wade, and thanks for the sacrafice's you have made for the Blue & White. If this is how things are going to go, you're probably in a better place.

[Matt]

I've been sitting here diligently waiting for Fletcher to do something. 9 minutes left and only Belak was moved. The one guy who I would have liked to stay as a Leaf. Leafs entertainment just dropped 5 whole levels.

I have to say though, looks like the Caps just got a whole lot better.

Come on Cliff do something! This feels alot like last year when JFJ did pretty much nothing.

[Craig Dori]

Are you kidding me?? This is what Mr. Fletcher comes up with? This team is already too soft, and has had things handed to them physically many times.. Most of which were nights that Belak was not in the line-up? Why Maurice leaves him out of line-up against Philly... HUH?
So much for being a team player! Let's make him a defenceman.. Now let's make him a forward.. back to defence.. back to forward.. All the while he reamined loyal, did not complain, and when called upon to take on some other team's tough guy, there he was! Also, I might add, one of the most popular players on the team.
So all Mr. Fletcher can come up with (so far, with about 15 minutes left) is trading him away. Marvelous... So when is the next GM coming in?
Good Luck in Florida Wade, and thanks for the sacrafice's you have made for the Blue & White. If this is how things are going to go, you're probably in a better place.

[NotAleafFan]

Damian, all your articles regarding the Leafs are dead on. Have you thought about pursuing the GM position? Poor Leaf fans. It has now come to the point I feel sorry for them. It's the same old story, year in, year out. Trade players developed in your system for almost nothing followed by signing washed-up one-time all-stars to feign a playoff run to please ownership. I wonder, who was the last leaf to be drafted and developed while spending most of his successful career in Toronto? Successful is underlined.

[George Orser]

I think it is amazing that the Leafs are trading players for draft picks. The organization has strong reputation for solid drafts. Let's see, when was the last time they actually drafted an immediate impact player. When was the last time they actually had a strong draft. They always make selections and say tey are 2 or 3 years away, then trade them for more has beens. A sad state of affairs indeed.

[Grumpy Chuck]

Could Sundin be doing the Leafs a favour? Let's say he signs a one or two year deal this summer with the Buds with a limited trade clause to the team(s)of his choice. The window closes at the beginning of the season. The receiving team gets Sundin for a known time frame at a known price point, the Leafs get a whole lot more in return, and Mats is not a rental player. If the Leafs can't get a trade done by the beginning of the season he stays a Leaf for another year when the window opens again in the next off season. This would be similar to the sign and trade deals the nba teams use in the off season. Completely off topic... Bobby Orr should be the next GM of the Leafs.

[Adrian]

NotALeafFan, how about Kaberle and Antropov? And yes, Cox looks like a genius most of the time cause he speaks with the advantage of hindsight. Anytime the Leafs made a trade over the past few years, I can rarely recall a time when he seriously didn't like the trade, and for several of them I remember him approving of the trade/acquisition (Owen Nolan, Jason Blake), only to come back after the fact and criticize the Leafs after it didn't work out.

Yes, Leaf management have not performed well, but Damien Cox is not the answer.

[Adam]

This is absurd.

First they trade Belak; more physical toughness gone from a team that was already in the red in that aspect. Granted, he almost never scored, but that's a symptom of having the same crappy, overpaid people trotted out there time and time again, and getting about 2 minutes of ice time at maximum (way to coach, Maurice).

Now Gill, too? Somebody find me what Fletcher is smoking; it's gotta be good enough to be illegal. Gill was one of the few defensive defensemen on the team -- McCabe, White and Kaberle are practically forwards -- and was decent at killing penalties, more than most Leafs can say. At least Kubina's still there ... yikes.

And Kilger? No other Leaf can actually shoot the puck worth a damn, save Sundin or Kaberle. That's probably why Perrault was unceremoniously dumped -- made everyone else look as bad as they are. Kilger may have been the Leafs' best winger; but no, that's not good enough for ol' Fletcher. Oh, and he actually HIT opposing players -- apparently, a mortal sin for a Leaf player these days.

So to all you fans who want the Leafs to intentionally tank for the rest of the year ... you're getting your wish. In spades.

C'mon, Fletcher, do the right thing and release Tucker and McCabe. Even with nothing in return, it's an improvement.

[ChuckyCheese]

Good riddance to that useless slug named Belak. Nice to see him go someplace where his humorless quips will get lost in the Florida seabreeze.

[Adam C]

Don't worry, Damien. Most goons have "personality"; it's part of the schtick. And the Leafs still have plenty of players who take pointless penalties, so his on-ice contributions won't be missed either.