With a spike in speculation in the last 24 hours that a Jonathan Bernier to Toronto trade was imminent, TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting via Twitter that the Leafs have not spoken to the Kings about their 23 year old backup goaltender.
While it is hard to deny the possibility of a deal happening down the road, since the rumor continues to come up every few weeks, a trade for Bernier does not fit Toronto’s desire for veteran stability between the pipes. If the Leafs were to trade a promising young player like Matt Frattin or Nazem Kadri for a goalie, it would have to be a proven commodity and not Bernier, who has less than 50 games NHL experience and has never been a top goaltender in a hockey mad market like Toronto.
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From the Mapleleafs.com website:
Steve Staios, a veteran defenceman of 18 seasons in the National Hockey League, announced his retirement as an active player on Wednesday. The Hamilton, Ontario native played in 1,001 career regular season games and 33 more in the NHL postseason from 1995 to 2012. He has accepted a position with the Toronto Maple Leafs as Player Development Advisor.
“I am very excited about joining the Toronto Maple Leafs management team,” said Staios. “I am looking forward to doing everything I can to help the team have success. The time is right for me and my family to step away from the game that I love to play and move on to a new chapter in my life. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Brian Burke and Dave Nonis and learn from their experience and knowledge.”
Maple Leafs President and General Manager Brian Burke had the opportunity to manage Staios for some of the player’s tenure with the Vancouver Canucks from 1996 to 1999.
“Steve Staios was a ‘working man’s player’—ready to play every night, competed to the best of his ability regularly against the other team’s best players and he was an exemplary teammate,” said Burke. “Steve has tremendous character and leadership skills and he has a bright future. This position will allow him to provide insight and analysis while developing his understanding of our hockey operations. We congratulate him on his dedication and worthy years of service as a player and we are really thrilled to have him join our team today.”
Staios, 39, will advise the Leafs management team on the prospects and players at all levels of the organization. He will also be relied upon for special assignments by both the amateur and pro scouting departments.
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