Opinion column: Toronto Maple Leafs are rebuilding for long-term success
On February 9, the Toronto Maple Leafs traded Dion Phaneuf to the Ottawa Senators as part of a 9-player blockbuster deal. While many Leafs fans were on the fence, trading our captain has proved to be a smart decision by Toronto management.
Dion Phaneuf, 30, is struggling to find his rhythm as an Ottawa Senator. Despite being named assistant captain of the Sens; Phaneuf is yet to make an impact with his new team. He has tallied only one goal and six assists since being traded to the nation’s capital. Phaneuf’s sloppy decision making suggests he lacks chemistry with his new teammates, or the confidence in his abilities. Frequent changes to the lineup show the frustration of the Senators coaching staff.
Some may argue that all newly-traded hockey players need time to adjust to the changes. However, Dion Phaneuf has been part of a multi-player, blockbuster trade before. Phaneuf has experienced these changes and this kind of pressure before. In 2010, Phaneuf showed no signs of struggle during his first three seasons with the Maple Leafs. He scored 31 goals in his first three seasons as a Maple Leaf, and continued to play a physical style of hockey. In his last three years as a Maple Leaf, Phaneuf scored only 14 goals, and clearly stopped playing aggressive. If Dion Phaneuf had no problems adjusting to changes after joining Toronto, he has no excuses after joining Ottawa.
Dion Phaneuf’s most successful years as an NHL defencemen are behind him. If you study Phaneuf’s career totals you will find a consistent downfall as the years move forward. His most memorable NHL seasons are clearly his five years with the Calgary Flames. In his early 20s, Phaneuf possessed more talent and intensity than most hockey veterans. Today at 30-years-old, he has problems creating scoring chances and scoring goals. In fact, the only three times Phaneuf scored 15 goals, or more, in a season were in his first three NHL seasons. He earned over 45 points in each of his first four seasons. Since then, he averages about 28 points every year.
For a while, I blamed the talentless Maple Leafs roster for Dion Phaneuf’s points slump. However, there are defencemen with a worse set of NHL teammates that have better totals than Phaneuf. Last season, Erik Karlsson played the full 82-game schedule and led all defencemen, and all Senators, with 66 points. Tyson Barrie and John Carlson, two defencemen playing for bad teams, earned over 50 points in the 2014-2015 season. Dion Phaneuf failed reaching the ‘Top 50’ list for ‘most points by defencemen.
The price Toronto management was paying to keep Dion Phaneuf on the roster was far too high. Two years ago, Phaneuf signed a seven-year, $49 million, contract with the Maple Leafs. This gives him an annual salary of $7 million. In 2010, Dion Phaneuf was traded to Toronto. While wearing a blue uniform, Phaneuf played 423 games and earned only 196 points. As for this season, Phaneuf earned a total of 24 points in 51 games played with the Maple Leafs. These are not the numbers a defencemen making $7 million annually put on the score sheet.
The individuals who claim Phaneuf is worth the money usually back up their opinion by stating he was Toronto’s best defencemen. However, that is no reason to believe he is worth $7 million. The fact Dion Phaneuf was making the same amount of money as the Sedin brothers is ridiculous. Both Daniel, and Henrik, Sedin racked up over 70 points last season while playing for the Vancouver Canucks. They doubled the numbers Dion Phaneuf earned.
The Toronto Maple Leafs franchise has a plan to rebuild the roster. After the lockout in 2004, a salary cap was introduced to the National Hockey League. All NHL teams with high-paid players were forced to make bold trades and enforce pay cuts. Today, the Maple Leafs continue to battle with the salary cap rules. It was a matter of time until Dion Phaneuf found himself on a different team. Other key players like Phil Kessel and James Reimer have been traded to further free up salary cap space.
Dion Phaneuf provided Maple Leafs fans with some exciting and memorable moments over the years. In Toronto, he was the topic of discussion for much of the past six years. Phaneuf is a great hockey player, but it’s time to say goodbye. So far, the Maple Leafs clearly made the right decision.
