Owen Nolan von San Jose nach Toronto!
[size=18px]Leafs obtain Nolan from Sharks[/size]
March 5, 2003
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TORONTO -- With just five shopping days remaining until the NHL's trading deadline arrives Tuesday afternoon, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the first major trade of March -- sending shockwaves throughout the League.
In a move announced late Tuesday night, Toronto acquired San Jose power forward Owen Nolan in exchange for third-line center Alyn McCauley, prized prospect Brad Boyes and Toronto's first-round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Toronto general manager and coach Pat Quinn pulled the trigger on the deal to help his struggling club finish the season strong and make them a more difficult team to play in the tight-checking atmospher of the playoffs.
In obtaining Nolan, the Sharks captain, Toronto receives a pugnacious winger with a pronounced scoring touch -- the most rare of commodities in the trade market. The fact that Toronto made the deal without gutting its present roster only adds to the magnitude of the trade.
Nolan, 31, is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound forward with a penchant for playing in the high-traffic areas in the attacking zone. He leaves the Sharks' franchise as the team's all-time leader in goals (206), assists (245) and points (451) during his 568 games with San Jose in the last eight seasons.
Quinn got to know Nolan, as a person and a player, when he coached Nolan at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
"This was a difficult deal to make since we gave up good, young, quality players and quality people but we feel Owen Nolan is a special player," said Quinn. For his career, Nolan has 323 goals, 352 assists and 1,474 penalty minutes in 836 career games. He played the first five years of his career with the Colorado Avalanche franchise.
"Owen Nolan was a major part of this franchise during his time here and certainly was a huge part of our progress over the last six years," said Dean Lombardi, the Sharks general manager.
This season, Nolan, who has played in four All-Star Games, has 22 goals, 20 assists and 91 penalty minutes in 61 games. Despite his production, Lombardi chose to move the popular player because San Jose has struggled throughout this year.
Projected to be a serious contender for this year's Stanley Cup, the Sharks are on the brink of missing the playoffs. With 17 games remaining in the season, San Jose is 11 points behind Edmonton in the race for the Western Conference's final playoff spot. Not only must the Sharks make up 11 points, it must pass four other contenders to have any hope of playing in the postseason.
Lombardi admitted that his team's dire circumstances contributed to the deal being made.
"Our performance this season, among other variables, was a factor in this decision and our evaluation of our team. This deal helps us address some concerns while providing us with key players and assets that will help us get back on track," said Lombardi. "Both McCauley, who is a proven NHL player, and Boyes, one of the top prospects in hockey, will help maintain our competitive level of play while improving our team as we move forward."
Toronto, on the other hand, is only thinking about today. Presently, the Leafs sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, four points behind the Philadelphia Flyers. They appear destined for a first-round playoff matchup against either the Flyers or the New Jersey Devils, two of the more physical teams in the East.
Toronto has gone just 2-4 in its last six games, suffering humiliating losses to the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators, the top team in the Eastern Conference.
Nolan, who missed San Jose's last game, with a minor back injury, should add some extra punch to Toronto's offense, while also providing some added protection for skill players like Mats Sundin and Alexander Mogilny. Nolan's 42 points put him third on Toronto's scoring list, behind Mogilny (70 points) and Sundin (56).
Nolan will be a welcomed addition, especially if his dinged up back allows him to play immediately. Toronto is already short two forwards heading into its game Thursday against Buffalo. Darcy Tucker is serving a five-game suspension for an incident in Tuesday's loss to Ottawa. Tie Domi, meanwhile, is serving a three-game suspension for another incident in that contest.
McCauley, a speedy forward, never panned out for Toronto after being obtained from the New Jersey Devils in 1997. Suffering from concussions early in his career, McCauley has never scored more than 24 points in a season. He did, however, have a monster postseason last year as the Leafs reached the Eastern Conference Finals, scoring five goals -- including two game-winning tallies -- and 10 assists in 20 postseason games.
All together, McCauley has played in 304 career NHL regular-season games and the 6-foot, 190-pound center has tallied 33 goals, 49 assists and 52 penalty minutes, all with Toronto.
Boyes, meanwhile, was the Leafs' first-round pick, 24th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He had an outstanding junior career in four seasons with Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League. He was twice named the OHL's Most Outstanding Player (2001 and 2002) and, in his final junior season, Boyes was named the OHL playoff's most valuable player after scoring 41 points (22-19-41) in 21 postseason games.
This season, the 6-1, 187-pound center had 23 goals and 28 assists in 65 games with the St. John's Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League. He ranks third among AHL rookies in both goals and points, while leading all rookies in shots (177).
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