CALGARY- Dion Phaneuf’s days as a Calgary Flame are done.
General manager Darryl Sutter shipped the heavy-hitting defenceman to Toronto Sunday in a blockbuster deal for forwards Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan, Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White.
The Maple Leafs also pick up forward Fredrik Sjostrom and minor-league defenceman Keith Aulie.
The Flames desperately needed to inject some scoring acumen into their lineup, and Sutter has certainly accomplished that objective in dramatic fashion.
Stajan immediately becomes the second-leading scorer on the Flames with 16 goals and 41 points in 55 games. Hagman has 20 goals and 33 points.
White adds some offensive punch from the blueline with nine goals and 26 points in 56 games.
Phaneuf, 24, played five seasons with the Flames. In 55 games this season, the Edmonton native had 10 goals and 22 points.
“This guy’s a warrior," Toronto general manager Brian Burke said of Phaneuf. "He’s got a cannon for a shot and he plays the game hard."
Both the Leafs and Flames have looked to be in need of a shakeup. The Leafs blew a 3-0 second-period lead on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks and fell 5-3 at home. They have struggled all season, and were tied with Carolina for last place in the Eastern Conference following Saturday night’s game.
The Flames had lost nine straight before winning Saturday night against visiting Edmonton.
A 2003 first-round draft pick of the Flames (ninth overall), Phaneuf dazzled in his rookie season to the point of garnering a Calder Trophy nomination along side Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin.
He scored 20 goals and 49 points in his first season as a pro – leaving Flames fans positively giddy about the future with such a stud on the back end.
In his sophomore season, Phaneuf appeared in the NHL all-star game. The following year, Sutter signed the rugged rearguard to a six-year, $39 million contract extension.
He responded with 60 points, a first-team all-star nod and a Norris Trophy nomination. That led to his role as a video-game cover boy for EA Sports.
Then came the season to forget in 2008-09 when he scored just 11 goals and 47 points with an alarming plus-minus rating of minus-11.
The arrival in Calgary of Brent Sutter, Phaneuf’s coach back in junior with the Red Deer Rebels, was supposed to signal the resurgence of the defenceman with so much talent but not nearly enough defensive discipline.
It didn’t. And so Sutter shipped him to the Eastern Conference for a new start under the lights at the Air Canada Centre.
At the Saddledome this morning a tearful Phaneuf addressed the Calgary press for the last time as a Flame.
"Well, it’s definitely a shock, but I’m very, very excited about going to Toronto and being a Maple Leaf. It was definitely a shock, but it’s part of the business," he said.
"I found out this morning. The toughest part is saying goodbye to your buddies and the relationships that you’ve made. You guys actually found out before me."
vhall@theherald.canwest.com
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