Trading Spaces: Maple Leafs Makeover Edition

Poor Phil Kessel. The beleaguered sniper spent all of last week in the media limelight, getting grilled about his lack of offensive production, his most recent scoreless slump and his comments about his relationship with Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson. The Toronto Star even did a week-long series scrutinizing his play and his person. Everybody was pilling it on (us included). Then, we he finally breaks out of his scoring skid, pocketing a pair in Toronto’s gutsy 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins last night, all the chattering classes can talk about is which Leaf is going to be the next to get a one-way ticket out of town from general manager Brian Burke.

With that in mind, we’re introducing a new feature that will run for the next two weeks: Trading Spaces, Maple Leafs Makeover Edition. We’ll be keeping tabs on who’s coming and who’s going at the Air Canada Centre and on who might be coming and who might be going. Burke has said he’s going to be making mad moves up until the trade deadline on February 28 (we’re looking at you, Tomas Kaberle) including yesterday’s relatively minor deal to bring tough guy Aaron Voros over from the Anaheim Ducks (we sure miss the days when they were “Mighty”) in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Stay tuned for more.

• Kessel, Grabovski lead Leafs past Bruins [Toronto Star]
• Game 57: Thank you, Boston [Toronto Star]
• Kessel, Grabovski dazzle but trade talk steals the show [Toronto Star]