Ducks Could Be Set To Move Getzlaf

We've seen this head fake from Anaheim GM Bob Murray before. So Leaf fans need not get too excited.

One moment earlier this season, you may remember, scoring winger Bobby Ryan was made available around the league for a possible trade, the next minute he wasn't available and Murray had instead fired head coach Randy Carlyle and quickly replaced him with the Bruce Boudreau.

But before, not after, the Ducks loss to San Jose on Wednesday night, a frustrated Murray appeared to make it clear in an interview with Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times that not only Ryan, but also Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry and centre Ryan Getzlaf are all now available to the highest bidder.

And it's Getzlaf, you have to believe, that would be a target for Maple Leafs' GM Brian Burke.

While slumping badly this season, the 26-year-old Getzlaf is precisely the big, tough centre that Burke has coveted but been unable to land since taking over in Toronto. Burke knows the player well from Anaheim's 2007 Stanley Cup championship, the timing now would fit the Leaf GM's preference of making big deals well in advance of the winter trade deadline and Getzlaf would certainly also fit the pattern of players who appeared to run out of steam in other cities coming to Toronto and finding the atmosphere reinvigorating.

It worked for Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf and Joffrey Lupul, all of whom may be in the NHL all-star game later this month. Could it work for Getzlaf? What would be the price?

But is the Anaheim captain really available? Early rumblings this morning suggest Getzlaf isn't the player Murray wants to move, and that Ryan is again the likeliest candidate for a trade. That would kill the notion of a trade to Toronto, as the Leafs don't see a fit with Ryan either positionally or in terms of cap strategy.

That said, Murray told the L.A. Times on Wednesday night that with his team locked into 29th place, only veterans Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu are untouchable.

"And the rest of the players in that locker room, I thought they'd figure out when we changed coaches that time was running, the clock was running quickly here. And I don't care who you talked about," Murray told the L.A. Times.

"We're going to get ready for next year," he said. "I think this team can be turned around to make the playoffs next year. I think it's going to be hard to do it this year but I do want them to make a run. But it's got to happen quick. Everybody knows that."

Maybe it was intended to be a pep talk, but after a 3-1 loss to the Sharks, it clearly hadn't had that effect.

Murray and Burke, former Anaheim associates, have done much business in recent years. They got together on the deal in Jan, 2010 that sent Jason Blake and goalie Vesa Toskala to the Ducks for $7 million netminder J.S. Giguere. Blake still plays for the Ducks, while Giguere never really panned out and was let go after last season.

Last winter, Burke traded defenceman Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Lupul, defence prospect Jake Gardiner and a fourth round draft pick. The Ducks used Beauchemin to finish fourth in the Western Conference while the Leafs missed the playoffs. This year, however, Lupul has blossomed and is the NHL's sixth leading scorer, while the 21-year-old Gardiner cracked the Leaf lineup out of training camp and has played very well.

Just this week, Burke and Murray did a minor league deal that sent winger Luca Caputi, picked up from Pittsburgh several years ago for Alexei Ponikarovsky, to the Ducks for minor-league forward Nicolas Deschamps.

As well, Burke seems to be positioning the roster for a move, having sent unproductive centre Phillipe Dupuis to the minors and put little-used enforcer Colton Orr, owed a $1 million salary for this year and next, on waivers.That may be designed to make room for returning injured players like Tyler Bozak and Mike Komisarek, while John Michael Liles, Colby Armstrong and Mike Brown are all still out.

The Leafs could handle Getzlaf's contract, which comes with a $5.325 million cap hit this season and next. Perry is under the same deal, but Burke is likely to much more interested in a playmaking centre than another scoring winger.

Despite his team's position, Murray told the L.A. Times he's not looking to dump veterans and rebuild.

"We will not go to draft picks. It's not my intention," he said.

Which, taken at face value, means roster players, or at the very least young players ready to step in.

When the Leafs were talking to Philly last summer about Mike Richards before he was moved to the Kings, it's believed the demands centred around a package involving Luke Schenn and Nazem Kadri. The Leafs don't have a No. 1 centre to send to the Ducks, so the fit would have to be Bozak, or theoretically, minor-leaguer Joe Colborne.

But it seems unlikely the Leafs would surrender both Kadri and Colborne, particularly with Kadri looking like he's in the NHL to stay. Defenceman Carl Gunnarson could also be a fit.

Getzlaf's numbers this season, by the way, are terrible. After being a key member of Canada's gold-medal winning team at the Vancouver Olympics, Getzlaf has only six goals and 19 assists this season while carrying a horrific minus-19 rating.

He and Boudreau haven't exactly hit it off. Getzlaf doesn't have a point in the last six games and has scored once since Boudreau took over.

Last week, Andrew Cogliano replaced Getzlaf at a key moment on the power play in an Anaheim game, which certainly caught Getzlaf's attention.

"(Boudreau) wants results," Getzlaf told reporters. "He expects better things out of me, as I do. It's one of those things (where) he's not telling me anything I don't know already. I need to get going and I need to make plays."

Clearly, Murray has all kinds of options here, and he could also trade goalie Jonas Hiller or defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky, as well. He doesn't necessarily have to move one of his big three forwards.

But he's also facing the clock with Getzlaf. If Murray doesn't move him now, he's facing a scenario next season in which Getzlaf would be in the final year of his contract and heading towards unrestricted free agency.

He might like to make that Burke's problem. Burke, on the other hand, must dream of having a player like the 6-foot-4, 240 pound Getzlaf to throw at divisional rival Boston and 6-foot-9 defenceman Zdeno Chara. Getzlaf would also put more snarl into the Leafs, particularly if he could find his game again and fit with Kessel and Lupul.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Victor T]

Oh man, rumours like that are killing me. Dangling Getzlaf in front of a Leafs fan is like dangling a fresh T-bone in front of a starving dog. I have to keep wiping the drool off the floor.

[Darren]

I think this will definitely happen............in my NHL 12 GM Mode!

[Richard]

Please get Getzlaf. It will be a nice birthday present for me lol. That said, I really do not want to see Kadri, Colborne, Grabo, Kulemin, Kessel, Lupul involved in that trade. Everybody else can go, especially the defense they tick me off.

[RubanG]

Although I feel this would undoubtedly be an upgrade to our current centre situation (not to take anything from Bozak/Connolly who have both been better/as good as hoped for), I can't help but wonder if Getzlaf can match Kessel and Lupul's speed. I understand that he's "the big, tough centre that Burke has coveted but been unable to land since taking over in Toronto" but if he's to mesh with our big two on the top line, he'll have to be able to keep up with them. However, I do hope that this deal happens because of his reasonable cap hit and, if we manage to retain him after his current contract expires, we should be a perrenial Cup contender in a couple of years. GO LEAFS!

[Jim Jack]

Who wouldn't want Getzlaf in a Leaf uniform? But the cost would be astronomical.in terms of two future stars in Kadri and Schenn plus you would have to believe a high draft pick and I don't believe even a player of Getzlaf's stature would put the Leafs "over the top". I truly think that Colborne is our Getzlaf next year anyway. Have you been watching Connolly with Kessel and Lupul? Now there is a playmaking center. I think the Leafs real need is in goal and I wouldn't mind either of the Ducks goalies.

[Paul]

Geeez, Bozak's numbers are better this year! Getzlaf had a great playoff run the 1 year and l think thats all we remember.

[leafs r rolling]

Really, Getzlaf available, BB, this deal NEEDS to get done! This is the center we so desperately need to put us into a playoff spot.Git' er done BB. Although it frightens me what has to be given up on our end. Schenn, Kadri, Gunarsson, and probably Blacker. OUCH! But, like the saying goes, you gotta give something to get something this big. To quote Donald Trump, "It's gonna be huge, folks"

[Lew McClain]

Pls keep Schenn, Colburn,Kadri.....their time is on the way now.....

[Alf Chaiton]

you must be joking! schenn and kadri aren't nearly enough as a core group to get a stud like getzlaf. a serious over-hype of the value of the leafs players. then to suggest taking one off the table, when the package isn't nearly good enough....

[Braco]

Last four years,Burke is trying, for salary of 3mill a year.I know a lot of people that would like to try, and keep trying for 3mill a year.
Burke is vastly overpaid idiot and Leafs are the WORST franchise EVER!

[Jean Yeti]

Now that is one nice juicy fat rumor. Getz would be a machine here in Toronto. Big, tough, hard working talented center. Just what the leafs need. Get some more magic going with LUPIS!!!! and Kessel. Kadri is looking pretty good right now too.

[Nick]

That would be unreal. Imagine seeing Lupul Getzlaf Kessel on the top line?

However I would not give up Schenn and Kadri.

Possible deal:
To Toronto: Ryan Getzlaf Conditional 2nd Round Pick
To Anahiem: Tyler Bozak, Carl Gunnarsson, Nikolai Kulemin, Conditional 2nd Round Pick

The 2nd round pick would be on the condition if Getzlaf re-signs with Toronto at the end of his contract or not.

[jo]

Schenn is horrible please trade him. How many times this year has he turned the puck over in the neutral zone to give up a breakaway score for the other team

[Leafer1982]

Colborone, 1st round pick, Gunnarrson and D'Amigo. Get er done Burke!

[Michael A]

Cox! You got me! This is the first time you and I have completely agreed! Could that mean that this dream may come true? The Leafs have so many Centers right now it's not even funny. I believe even Frattin came in as a center, but has been moved to the wing. Boyce, Lombardi, Grabovski, Bozak, Colborne, Brown, Armstrong. Yeah, don't forget Connolly. We could trade away six centers and still have a good team up the middle. The question is in the title though. What will Burke give up? The answer is this... Burke will do what it takes to fill gaps. He won't create another gap to seal a current one. Does Getzlaf fill any gaps? Or is this lapping over the Tim Connolly trade, looking for that top six center?

[No1000Fan]

typical leafs fans think they can get Getzlaf for a bag of hockey pucks and draft choices.....I sure a lot of other teams could offer more than whatever the Leafs offer. But then again its the Ducks and Burke....

[Bryan Johnson]

Crazy scenario to put out there. And it could happen.......if there weren't about 12 other teams with better players looking for the same kind of thing. Lets face it. Outside of giving up two of either Kadri, Colbourne, or Schenn there isn't much else on this roster that can blend in with what Anaheim has in place. But it will be interesting in the next month.

[billy d]

Phil Kessel did not run out of steam in Boston only to be reinvigorated in Toronto.Damien really? That is a revisionist statement if I had ever heard one. It was all about salary cap and contract demands. Period. Besides it has taken Kessel three years to give Toronto the numbers they were looking for. It is not like Kessel hit the ground running. I also like how you describe Colborne as a minor- leaguer, which is absolutely true, but that is not exactly how you and the Leafs fans have been describing him since he was traded to Toronto. He is always pointed out as to how Boston was fleeced by Toronto in the Kaberle trade. If Colborne is destined to remain a minor-leaguer then I guess Toronto didn't get much from that trade.

[Chad]

to Anaheim: Connolly, Grabovski, Gunnarsson, AHL prospect (not Colbourne), 2nd round pick

to Toronto: Getzlaf

Heck I'd even throw in Franson to that deal.

[Newbie78]

Nice, but I'd prefer the Staal rumour to come true. For either of these I'd be more than willing to part with Kadri/Colbourne, Bozak, Schenn/Aulie, and Kulemin.

[snacker]

Leafs fans are hilarious. Some of you are suggesting Gunnarsson going over? This guy has come out of nowhere to be the most consistent Leaf dman and you want to dump him? He's pretty much untouchable on that blueline right now and is the best 2-way dman this team has. Schenn is probably the only guy that has a sniff of going to the Ducks, but how many other teams in the league might want Getzlaf too? Do you people honestly think the Leafs have the depth to send kadri, schenn, a prospect and a first rounder (it'll take at least that to get to the conversation started. The Duck aren't going to take a rental like Grabo. It makes no sense to trade Kulemin right now as his value is the lowest it's ever been (better of signing him to a cheap deal and trading him when he finds his game - economics 101 folks). I would love to see Getz, but they will have to overpay and its not like the Leafs have a ton of great depth that they can just throw away right now...

[Jim Jack]

@alf chaton I don't think anyone is saying Schenn and Kadri by themselves would swing a trade for Getzlaf. But you have to admit, these two players are the ones other teams covet and that is because both of them have bright futures. Both of these guys have caught the attention of other GMs in the league and that is for a reason. I don't think it is wise to give up on an asset too easily that may pay huge dividends in the future. Getzlaf's stock is declining, both Schenn and Kadri's are rising. I believe that one of the reasons for Getzlaf's slide is he is a tad slow for the new NHL. Don't get me wrong, he brings a lot to the table and I would love to have him, but not at "any price"

[Crabby Bunka]

Damien, I'm surprised you are titillating the rubes with more trade talks that involve impact players coming to Toronto. Getzlaf would only come if he realizes that he no longer is the force he once was. The big boys do not come to Toronto, PERIOD. Why? Because they want to play on a winner, not a poorly coached, mediocre entity. The blue and white disease is contagious and, apparently, everlasting.

[Bill]

@snacker, while I won't refute or comment on most of your points, I will refute your comment that Leafs lack depth. They have a lot of depth...mostly bottom-6 depth, but the team is pretty deep at this point.

Centres - Connolly, Grabo, Bozak, Lombardi, Steckel, Colbourne,

Wingers - Kessel, Lupul, Kulemin, MacArthur, Frattin, Kadri, Boyce, Crabb, Rosehill (and depth in the system with Brad Ross, Tyler Biggs, Kevin McKegg who are a couple years away)

Defencemen - Phaneuf, Gunnarson, Schenn, Aulie, Komisarek, Franson, Liles, Gardiner (with depth in the system with Percy, Blacker, Holzner for down the road)

Goalies - Reimer, Gustavsson, Scrivens, Rynnas, Owuya

Toronto can easily afford to package a few players from the current roster along with a pick/prospect (etc) in the right deal.

Interestingly, ANH is in need of a bottom-six players so perhaps there is a deal to be made (where the Leafs throw in a few bottom-six guys on top of ???? to get a deal done).

I'm not Murray, but I'd be interested in Grabo (if he can be resigned), Kulemin, Colbourne, Kadri, Schenn, Gunnarson, etc. + picks.

[makeithappen]

MAKE THIS TRADE HAPPEN! give anaheim whoever they want except for KESSEL or KADRI!