INSIDE HOCKEY

As the March 4th trade deadline rolls around, questions abound as to what changes Brian Burke will make to the Leafs' depth chart. Will Thomas Kaberle be traded? Nik Antropov? Until the deadline arrives, all we can do is wait as only time will tell. When Brian Burke was first introduced to the media, he admitted that the Leafs had to be torn apart with only bits and pieces remaining. As well he also stated that he will try to shake up the team as soon as a good trade offer hits him.

There have been two Leaf names in particular that have heard their names mentioned with the word “trade,” those being Thomas Kaberle and Nik Antropov. The Leafs should consider trading more than just two players at the deadline, as they need to acquire some young talent that will help them long into the future.

Jason Blake is a good example of another player that should be traded. Blake is a 35 year old veteran with 10 years of experience in the NHL. The team is getting older and they need to trade away some of their old talent for some new talent to help the team prosper in the future.

Even though the Leafs do need some leadership because of many injuries to their regular player thus forcing them to make many call ups from their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, the Leafs do have some experience with the newly acquired Brad May from the Anaheim Ducks and the signing of Jamal Mayers in the off-season. And although Blake has been one of the lone bright sides for the Leafs with his help on the scoresheet, tallying 21 goals and adding in another 23 assists in 52 games played this season, he deserves to show off his talent to a team that needs one more player to push them over the edge and make the playoffs, not a team that is in rebuilding mode. He leads the team in goals, points, plus/minus and game winning goals, which makes him a bigger asset for another team to pick up.

Another player that has heard his name come up in trade rumors is Pavel Kubina. Kubina turns 31 years of age and has one year remaining on his contract with $5 million owed to him. Why would a team dedicate 10% of its 2009-10 payroll to him? He, just like Jason Blake is aging and should be dealt to a team that is in need of some leadership on defense. It is not as if Brian Burke is having a hard time getting rid of the blue liner as multiple teams such as the Flyers, Canadians, Bruins, Canucks and Blue Jackets are all interested in his services. The one problem with attempting to trade Kubina is that he has a no-trade clause in his contract; however, he has said that if the right offer becomes available he will be willing to lift that clause.

Lastly, the Leafs should trade a player like Alexei Ponikarovsky, who is taking up $2.5 million of the Leafs total salary. He has done a lot more this season then he has done the last few seasons, but that alone is not a good enough reason for the Leafs to keep him. Ponikarovsky is a streaky player that could be playing a great game one game then be held scoreless for the next 10 straight games. He is the kind of player that is very unpredictable, which is something that the Leafs have enough of.

If the Leafs want to have a better chance at making the playoffs they need to get rid of some of their streaky players and replace them with players that are a help to the team each and every game. ‘Poni’ is the type of player that uses his size to his advantage however unlike most players, he takes it for granted. Another problem with Ponikarovsky is that he misses a lot of shots that most players would have no problem scoring. All an all, Alexei Ponikarovsky is just another achiever that plays for the Leafs.

As the deadline draws nearer different names will be thrown into the mix but the only thing that the Leafs can do is wait until March 4, or a closer date where one of these players will be on the move. Until the deadline passes Brian Burke will be a busy man trying to make the Leafs a better team and hopefully a playoff contender not only for this season but for many seasons in the future.