Hole in the D?

First off, I thought the Francois Beauchemin for Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner and a conditional draft pick was a beauty trade by Double B and company. I know Beauchemin was getting a lot of love here on PPP, but I never saw him as a part of the team moving forward. Although it obviously wasn't the main reason, I was wondering if all the ice time Beauchemin was seeing over the last little while was part of an attempt to bump up his trade value, which it obviously did. I think the Leafs fleeced the Ducks on this trade, although both teams got what they wanted.

The Ducks got a solid, veteran D man to eat up big minutes. He adds a stabilizing presence on the ice and in the locker room (from all accounts) and will most likely help Fowler the way that Kabby has done for Schenn.

In return, the Leafs get, first off, a guy that, at 27, still has lots of potential. Lots of high draft picks (ex: Dan Clearly) take more that a couple of years to find their feet in the NHL. Add to that the fact the guy is coming off a major injury/illness and has put up impressive numbers in the past, most notably 20g-26a in 56 games for the Flyers in '07, and there's reason to believe he could have a MacArthur-like rebirth in TO. Even if he doesn't, Gardiner was a steal. Like Aulie in the Phaneuf for spare parts trade, he really swings the trade in Toronto's favor. Gardiner is on a point per game pace with the Wisconsin Badgers this season, which is more than solid for an NCAA defenseman. He immediately takes top spot on our D prospect chart (Hockey's Future gives him and 8.0C, an edge over Blacker who is also a puck moving D man and at 7.0C). Add to that mix a conditional 6th or 4th rounder in 2013 (I don't think it really matters in the long run what one we get, stats tend to suggest after the 3rd round it's a crap shoot) and I have to wonder what Murray has been smoking in OC, or if he owes BB more than people know (Murray: “I'll make him an offer he can't refuse...”)

Anyway, with this being said, the Leafs are, temporarily, left with a hole on defense. Komi is bidding to have the hockey equivalent of a Razzie named after him for most boneheaded giveaways in a season, and I'd rather have a cardboard cutout of Andy Wozniewski as a third paring D man than let Lebda back into the lineup. So, something has to give. Burke has made the smart move by calling up Aulie, who probably should have stayed after his solid play earlier in the year. Assuming they're working on the prevailing logic of one offensive D man, one defensive D man on a line, that still leaves them a little wonky on the back end. And if another trade happens before the deadline, as Burke has suggested, that may leave the Leafs even shorter on D.

Despite the number of AHL callups this season, the Leafs have left arguably one of their best NHL-ready offensive defensemen in the minors – Matt Lashoff. An '05 first rounder, 22nd overall, I'd like to see this guy get a shot. He's still fairly young, is 6th on the Marlies in scoring with 25 points in 52 games, and could easily fill in in a pinch. As much as Komi's play has been a disappointment this season, I don't see him going anywhere but maybe the press box, so I doubt Lashoff gets a chance except in the case of injuries. Anyway, here's a possible D scenario that would be interesting to see for a couple of games:

Kaberle – Schenn

Phaneuf – Gunnarson

Aulie – Lashoff

Schenn and Phaneuf aren't going anywhere, and hopefully Kabby stays and resigns at the end of the season for a hometown discount. That leaves Gunnarson as possible trade bait in a package deal for a top six forward, which still could work...

Kaberle- Schenn

Phaneuf – Aulie

Komi – Lashoff

As much as I want to see Lashoff get a shot, that bottom six pairing makes me cringe, so maybe switch Komi with Aulie. Either way, I think Lashoff deserves a shot should things open up more on defense.