Rumor Mill...

[Egil]

Originally Posted by go pierre hedin

Boyes = Vermette and Stajan
McCauley > Pothier and Jackman
1st Rounder (2003) > 1st Rounder (2004)

The pick in the 2003 pick is a bit more valuable then a 1st in this years pick.

Boyes, as a 21 year old, is STILL in the AHL. Vermette has cracked the Ottawa lineup at the same age, and is worth more. Nolan was also NOT a rental player, but was in fact a more long term acquisition by the Leafs, who still, IMHO, gave up too much for him.

We shall see what needs to be given up to get him soon enough, but more teams need defensemen than wingers, which puts Ottawa in a much better spot than Toronto (especially since we don't even really need a winger).

[leafaholix*]

San Jose's bringing Brad Boyes along nicely.

He spent 4 years in the OHL, and it looks like he's going to spend 2 full seasons in the American Hockey League. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

IMO, I think that both Vermette and Stajan are better players then Boyes, but the fact that he's 21 (soon to be 22) and still in the AHL doesn't make him any worse then the two... it's just that Antoine and Matty have accomplished more.

[Spezza]

Originally Posted by go pierre hedin

Boyes = Vermette and Stajan
McCauley > Pothier and Jackman
1st Rounder (2003) > 1st Rounder (2004)

The pick in the 2003 pick is a bit more valuable then a 1st in this years pick.

We could argue about some of the valuations, but for the sake of arguements lets stick with yours.

My next question is who is more valuable? Owen Nolan or Jeff O'Neill? Both bring nice intangiables to the ice, but what are there real values.

At the time of the Nolan trade some of the factors that hurt Nolan's value was his durability (having had quite a number of problems with his back), he was having a so-so year by his standards - but a still pretty good 42 points in 61 games and his team was struggling, there were also a number of questions about who was available to .

Nolan brings a lot of experience, and while he's not a young man he's chalked up all star appearances and olympic gold.

With O'Neill, you've got a guy who has only really had one good playoffs (although only two shots at it), he's having a crap year offensively, his team is playing like crap too. However, his salary makes him more accessible to more teams than Nolan's salary.

It might not be enough, but at the same time I don't think it is really that far off. Remember that McCaulley was having a crap year as well (good on him for rebounding this year).

[leafaholix*]

If Nolan (w/Sharks) and O'Neill were available this year, Jeff O'Neill would fetch more in a trade. With Roberts' injuries last season, I think the Leafs were on a search for a powerforward and Nolan was the only big name powerforward available.

[Egil]

Originally Posted by go pierre hedin

If Nolan (w/Sharks) and O'Neill were available this year, Jeff O'Neill would fetch more in a trade. With Roberts' injuries last season, I think the Leafs were on a search for a powerforward and Nolan was the only big name powerforward available.

I think the new Leafs owner told Quinn to make a "big trade" that Quinn didn't want to make, which ended up being Nolan. That trade does not look like ANY other Pat Quinn trade, EVER, which makes the other change going on in the Leafs org (a new owner) a far more likely culprit for making that deal. That caused Quinn to overpay, because simply not making the trade wasn't an option.

[leafaholix*]

The new owners had no say in any moves until July 1, 2003.

And Quinn didn't overpay. He moved a third line checker (McCauley), prospect with second line potential, and a late first round draft pick for one of the top powerforwards in hockey. Nolan's missed 2 games all season with an injury... the last 9 games have been because of that eye injury that would take out anyone.

With the improvements in player developement, that deal will not hurt the organization in the future. The Maple Leafs will be one of the top scouting teams in the near future and have a GM (John Ferguson Jr.) that has great potential.

[Slippery]

We all know that Bondra is a fantastic offensive threat. The problem is that Ottawa has very little money to be spending on rentals, which will cost our depth in the upcoming years. The only way we'll know if its a good move, is if Ottawa wins the cup with Bondra. If not, we will have definately lost a great prospect for our team in the future. Sometimes these risks are worth it, sometimes they come back to haunt us. I think O-town would be hard to stop with Bondra in the lineup... especially with guys who can score on his line. Think of the possibilities!