If there is one phrase you would use to define the Leafs in 2010, it’s got to be ‘top 6 forward’. I have heard this refrain countless times, but never more so than this year. There was talk of it when Phil Kessel was acquired. There was more talk of it at the deadline, at the draft, at the start of the free agency period and again at the end of the Tomas Kaberle trade window.
It seems that everyone thinks that finding this elusive ‘top 6 forward’ is the key to ending the Leafs playoff drought, and that it is paramount to their success. However, with the way everyone has been throwing it around, you would think it would be an easy thing to do. This is not so in the new salary cap era. Add to that the requirement that this player needs to be young enough to remain with the team for several years and fit into the team’s cap structure, and you could see the monumentous task Burke has ahead of him.
Top 6 forwards are at a premium in today’s NHL. Over the past few seasons you can see players that the Leafs have targeted, and you can see the results of those inquiries. Players like Rick Nash, Patrick Marleau, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and most recently Bobby Ryan re-signed with their respective clubs. Chicago was determined to hang on to Patrick Sharp in the offseason, sending no less than nine other roster players out in order to keep Sharp. Players like Marc Savard, Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards are cap headaches and are advancing in age.
When an opportunity to acquire a top 6 forward arose last year as Phil Kessel was having contract disputes with the Boston Bruins, Burke stepped in and acquired him, but the price was high. Two first round draft picks, one of which ended up being Tyler Seguin. For Brian Burke in Leaf Nation, you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. So how else could you acquire a top 6 forward?
Many would say through the NHL entry draft, but these types of players are not guaranteed to become top 6 forwards and it could be several years before you see any return on investment. The Leafs current best bet at developing top 6 forwards is to hope that players like Nikolai Kulemin, Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and Jerry D’Amigo blossom into the role over the next few seasons.
Ultimately, there are a few other avenues out there, options that could be enticing to Burke and company, but they will have to tread carefully here as to not upset the balance and delay any further development of the roster. David Backes is a pending unrestricted free agent with the St. Louis Blues. The Blues are a club that with a wealth of young talent, many of whom are going to be needing raises in the coming seasons. With great depth up front like Brad Boyes, TJ Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund, the Blues may deem Backes expendable. He also played under Wilson and Burke at the 2010 Olympics.
James Neal is also having contract issues in Dallas, as the owner has a self-imposed cap as he looks to sell the club. Neal is budding young star for Dallas and may be tough to acquire without sending considerable assets back in return. He definitely fits the mold, is a Burke-type player, and would be more than welcome in the Blue and White, but is the price too high?
Outside of Marc Savard, Boston will eventually have to move some players as they have tremendous depth at center. Patrice Bergeron is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season as well, and with David Krecji, Tyler Seguin, Savard and prospect Joe Colborne waiting in the wings, it’s getting crowded up the middle in Boston. Boston could also use some help on the blue line, a position of strength for the buds.
Lastly, with the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils are now in a position where they need to free up some cap space. While certainly a valuable asset, a player like Travis Zajac may be deemed expendable with the addition of Jason Arnott. If the Leafs were to make a deal along the lines of Zajac and Colin White for Tomas Kaberle and Carl Gunnarsson, the Devils would not only free up a few million in cap space but also improve their blue line, increasing their status as cup favourites.
I’m sure Burke and his staff have done their due diligence and are looking into every possible option. However, they do feel comfortable with the group they have starting the season, and one major reason for that is the improved defensive and penalty killing play the club exhibited last season. Adding two-way players like Versteeg and Armstrong will only aid in that department, and a team that has faith in its defense core can take more risks offensively.
I’m sure Burke, like everyone else in Leaf Nation, will be monitoring the offensive situation closely, while also keeping an eye on other teams. Would anyone in their right mind have thought that Dion Phaneuf would have been a Leaf at this time last year? Do the Flames even trade Phaneuf if they could have avoided that ugly nine game losing streak last season? If an opportunity arises to acquire a top 6 forward for the right price, we can all rest assured knowing that Burke will capitalize on it.
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Born and raised in Northern Ontario but currently living in Toronto, Tyler wouldn't have it any other way. Home to his two favourite sports teams, Tyler revels in the day to day sports experience that is Toronto. 
“Do the Flames even trade Phaneuf if they could have avoided that ugly nine game losing streak last season?”
Probably. The way he was whinging on here he wasn’t going to stay, and he didn’t want to play second fiddle to Iginla, even though he clearly was. Why Sutter decided to play the role of Doug Risebrough in trading him baffles me. On par with the Heatley trade in bad moves last year.
Yeah definitely not getting the value, especially when you consider Aulie and Sjostrom came over as well, but it seemed the 9 game streak was the tipping point for Sutter to make such a move.
I really dont’ see the Leafs getting a top six forward anytime soon. Sundin was probably the last one they had, and that was because they were able to sucker Quebec into sending him for Wendal Clark and some other stuff back in the day. And before that….Sittler? Keon?
The Leafs really would be better to draft for one. Trying to get a Sedin to land in Toronto is like trying to get another Scotty Bowman in Montreal.
Well, they already have one in Kessel, probably two in Versteeg… but we’re banking on Kulemin, Bozak and Kadri to play like top 6 forwards. Considering that they all have that kind of potential, I’d say it’s a better situation than trying to turn guys like Matt Stajan into top 6 guys.
Burke did talk to the Sedins but the main point of bringing them, and guys like Nash, up, is that top 6 players are also loyal and really not readily available around the league.