With the trade of defenceman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli it would seem obvious to some that the ‘scorched earth’ rebuild for the Toronto Maple Leafs is underway, but that isn’t necessarily the case.
Leafs general manager Dave Nonis told the media in a conference call Sunday that the club wasn’t looking to overturn it’s whole roster.
“We’ll make moves as needed. Can’t say if more deals will happen. It’s not like we’re trying to move out our whole roster,” Nonis said. “If deals will move team forward, we will do them.
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“In this situation, you are talking about two players who are going to be unrestricted. We felt we couldn’t risk not getting something for them. In the event we couldn’t resign them, it was important we get some assets back.”
What’s important for the Leafs at this point isn’t the players they gave up, but what they acquired in Nashville’s first-round pick, and prospect Brendan Leipsic as the team tries to form a core that will turn around Toronto’s fortunes.
Consequently, that means just about everybody is available.
“No one is untouchable but some players (like Morgan Rielly) will be very difficult for us to move,” Nonis said. “(We’re) trying to put together a young group to grow together and will have a chance to win.”
