Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry, right, chases Toronto Maple Leafs' Cody Franson during a game at Honda Center on Wednesday Jan. 14, 2015.The Leafs have traded Franson and forward Mike Santorelli to the Nashville Predators for a first-round pick, centre Olli Jokinen and prospect Brendan Leipsic.Kyusung Gong/The Canadian Press
The hopeful note sounded by one Toronto Maple Leafs player after Saturday's shootout loss to Montreal – "our best 65 minutes in two weeks or so" – had barely faded when the wrecking ball arced home.
If the boffo deal between the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres was the unofficial shotgun start to trade season, the weekend transaction between the Leafs and Nashville Predators must be considered the first day of a gut-the-place renovation in Toronto.
Leafs general-manager Dave Nonis wouldn't be drawn in on whether more moves are imminent – "it's not like we're trying to move out our whole roster," he said.
Nor would he apply the 'untouchable' tag to any of his players.
The closest he came was in referencing blueline marvel Morgan Rielly, who won't be changing addresses "unless it was something that made so much sense in terms of rebuilding a team."
Even if it strains credulity that Toronto would trade Rielly, the outlines of a strategy are apparent in the Leafs' board-sanctioned teardown.
Out go impending free agents Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli, in come a first-round draft pick, 20-year-old forward Brendan Leipsic and journeyman Olli Jokinen.
Leipsic is an undersized but intriguing player; the combative winger once led the WHL in scoring, his entry-level status screams 'buy low.'
The real prize, however, is the pick.
"It was our goal to get as high a pick as possible and to get what we feel is a very good prospect along with it. Obviously, the further you go down the draft list the harder it is, there's been some pretty good players picked in the 20s in the last couple of years and it's our goal to do that this year," Nonis told a conference call.
The 2015 draft is considered an eminently palatable vintage, and multiple picks in the opening round are a nice bargaining chip to have.
Stockpiling draft choices is rarely a bad idea, but it helps to use them intelligently.
Though the Leafs have a spotty track record on that score, recently added assistant GM Kyle Dubas and director of player personnel Mark Hunter both used the draft-and-develop strategy to good effect in the junior ranks – you may now begin speculating about how many fingerprints are on this deal and who they belong to.
The next piece to be shifted before the March 2 deadline will likely be Daniel Winnik, who made the aforementioned post-game comment at the Bell Centre.
Nonis is understood to want draft picks in return for Winnik (an ESPN report suggested a second and third rounder), which would build on the tidy bit of business he conducted with Nashville counterpart David Poile.
Like Buffalo's trade with Winnipeg, the Leafs' latest move carries zero risk of improving the club in the short term and hauling them out of the Connor McDavid derby.
The aging Jokinen is a poster boy for NHL mediocrity, and in any case he may only be passing through.
"Our plans with Olli would be to get him playing, get his game to the highest possible level and I wouldn't be surprised if there are playoff teams who will be calling us before [March 2]," Nonis said. "He's a quality veteran."
That assertion is up for debate, as the 36-year-old has been a frequent scratch this year and is now on his ninth team; his NHL résumé includes just six playoff games (1,217 in the regular season).
Telegraphing one's intentions on the trade market is a curious gambit. Then again, it's hard to imagine Jokinen fetching more than a token price. The best news is his $2.5-million (U.S.) salary comes off the books July 1 (the total cap savings of the trade stands to be roughly $4.2-million).
Should the Leafs flog centre Tyler Bozak, goalie James Reimer and/or one of their high earners – winger Phil Kessel or defenceman Dion Phaneuf – it would create enviable salary-cap flexibility.
Saturday was the Leafs' 13th successive road loss and 16th reversal in 20 games, and if the run of rotten results continues at least it will be in the service of a broader goal.
And if it's any consolation, it's to the point where rival superstars are empathizing.
At the conclusion of a frantic overtime, Toronto-born Habs defenceman P.K. Subban gave the beleaguered Kessel a tap of encouragement.
"I don't think it's deserving, some of the stuff they've gone through this year," said Subban, who often skates with Kessel in the off-season. "Phil's a guy who cares. He cares about his team, he cares about hockey, he cares about the Toronto Maple Leafs."
Lest you interpret cynicism in Subban's words, he remembers 2011-12, when the floundering Habs fired their veteran coach fewer than 40 games in.
They too went into a fan-enraging tailspin and traded a useful defenceman (Hal Gill) and top-nine forward (Andrei Kostitsyn) to Nashville; later they canned their GM and caretaker coach and picked third overall before being led to the playoffs the following season by a brilliant goalie, stud defenceman and sniping winger.
To be true to the example, the Leafs would also need to jettison an offence-shy big-ticket guy; David Clarkson is a Scott Gomez facsimile, but it's a shame about the buyout-proof contract.
His performance Saturday – 2:31 of ice time, two fights, 27 penalty minutes including a major for ramming Sergei Gonchar into the end boards – won't be fondly remembered.
Afterward Clarkson said he was simply trying to fire up his teammates.
Sunday's events suggest might be better off saving that stuff for next year.