This may possibly be the biggest move made this trade deadline. The impact of it could be felt for years… and could lead to a championship for Toronto. In this article, we explain why.

This could be the biggest move made because the move I looked forward to most a month ago is now near impossible. Dustin Byfuglien to the Capitals seems a distant dream now that he has signed an extension in Winnipeg, and Andrew Ladd appears to be the one on the outs for the Jets.

Trading a captain doesn’t seem like an easy thing. For most teams, it’s probably near impossible to think of. The two best teams in the league, the Blackhawks and Capitals, couldn’t be where they are without their captains. I know I’ve been harsh on Jonathon Toews, but there’s a reason he has a matching contract to the soon to be Hart winner. Alexander Ovechkin… well, he’s Alexander Ovechkin.

So the Toronto Maple Leafs did what many teams never would. Phaneuf has been on the outs for a long time in Toronto. There were rumors they were shopping him this summer, and it seemed like his contract would make it impossible to trade him. Yet, now, they somehow found a way. Give credit to the HOF GM Toronto now has in Lou Lamariello.

The trade itself is massive. A nine player trade between two Canadian teams in the same division. The Maple Leafs wouldn’t have done this trade if they weren’t working on something big. But we’ll get to that soon. The Maple Leafs are sending Phaneuf, Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey, Ryan Rupert and D prospect Cody Donaghey to Ottawa for Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, Milan Michalek and Tobias Lindberg and the Ottawa second round pick.

Let’s look at this trade statistically. Phaneuf is an offensive defenseman who has posted only 3 goals and 21 assists this season. He has a 2.6% scoring percentage, so some of it is puck luck, but Phaneuf hasn’t been his normal self since being made the #1 dman in Toronto. In Ottawa, he won’t face this problem. No defenseman is beating out Karlsson for #1 defenseman. Not even Duncan Keith or Drew Doughty could pry that spot from him in Ottawa. So Phaneuf will now face a lot less pressure in Ottawa. Frattin is a forward who’s last NHL goal was in the 2013-2014 season. He has 22 points and a +4 rating in the AHL this season. Bailey has 18 points and a +5 in the AHL, Rupert’s most recent game was played in the ECHL and Donaghey is still in the QMJHL. Toronto isn’t losing a whole ton in this trade.

Neither is Ottawa. Cowen has put up 4 assists this season and a +7 rating, but is a career -7. Greening was a 7th round draft pick who’s only played one game for the Senators this season. Michalek, the biggest loss for Ottawa, has 10 points and a +1 this season. Lindberg has 22 points and a +10 for the Binghamton Senators this season.

So this is purely a cap dump for the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the flip side, this is a move that could help the Senators get back to the playoffs. If Phaneuf were to take over Cowen’s second pairing role, he’s a definitive improvement and in the less pressure pairing, Phaneuf could do some serious damage to other teams. This is a great move if Phaneuf is used as top 4 and not top 2.

Now, the implications of the trade for Toronto. It has long been rumored that the reason Steven Stamkos has yet to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning is cause he wants to pull a LeBron and go home. This could be the Maple Leafs preparing for that homecoming. Steven Stamkos, if he won the Maple Leafs a championship, would be immortal in the city. So would Mark Babcock. So would Lou Lamariello. Although he has denied wanting to go elsewhere, Stamkos has never explicitly denied the chance at returning to Toronto. He knows he can get as much money as he could in Tampa Bay and a championship would mean more in Toronto than in Tampa Bay for Stamkos and the organization.

So if Stamkos does make “the Decision” to return to Toronto this free agency, look back to this trade as the spark that ignited the flame that could end in the Leaf’s first championship since the 60s and Punch Imlach.