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Still fishing for a link (most sites are extremely slow right now), but it has been confirmed.

It sucks to lose Keith Aulie, I loved his skillset and size. He played pretty well in the limited time he spent here.

Carter Ashton is an EXCELLENT return for Aulie. He's played well in the minors this year, and was one of Tampa's best prospects. For those of you who watch the Team Canada juniors, he's previously played on that team. He's a big, power forward that projects to be a top 6 player.

Overall, good trade for both teams...but gives Toronto a little depth up front with their prospect pool.

It's on TSN.ca, I hate losing Aulie but this seems to be one of those deals everyone says helps both sides.

I hope this is a signal that Burke is not gonna do something big. The worse thing would be to make a big move with small return.

There's guys that are available that could help short-term and long-term but the price seems high. They guys I'd still target if the deal is right is Bernier, Brown and Derek Roy. But I wouldn't mortgage any future assets just for a little push to the 8th spot.

I know they want to sign Grabo but I'd move him and possibly sign him as a UFA just to get some assets. Give Colborne a look on the second line for the rest of the season.

Good return for Aulie. We needed size and skill on the wing (Ashton can play both positions) so it does help for future's sake. Its good that Burke didn't panic and throw the kitchen sink at Columbus

Seemed like the talking heads were alluding that Aulie didn't get along with Wilson. Not sure that's the right motivation to trade a young guy. Hopefully Ashton works out.

I would've liked to see us go after Kassian, personally.

ATLTimekeeper wrote:Seemed like the talking heads were alluding that Aulie didn't get along with Wilson. Not sure that's the right motivation to trade a young guy. Hopefully Ashton works out.

I would've liked to see us go after Kassian, personally.

We weren't going to be able to get Kassian with Aulie....Buffalo wanted a young center just like we want a young center.

I bet Burke targeted Hodgson but we didn't have what it took to get it done.

_venom_ wrote:

ATLTimekeeper wrote:Seemed like the talking heads were alluding that Aulie didn't get along with Wilson. Not sure that's the right motivation to trade a young guy. Hopefully Ashton works out.

I would've liked to see us go after Kassian, personally.

We weren't going to be able to get Kassian with Aulie....Buffalo wanted a young center just like we want a young center.

I bet Burke targeted Hodgson but we didn't have what it took to get it done.

Wasn't implying Aulie was the bait, but maybe Kadri and something else? Anyway, I'm not crying that we didn't get him, just would have been helpful this year.

I wouldn't be surprised if him and Wilson butted heads. Wilson is known to suck when it comes towards playing/developing young players (ie. Benching Shenn like a moron, playing Kadri on the 4th line).

I'm just glad we didn't have to ship Gardiner + our pick anywhere

ATLTimekeeper wrote:Seemed like the talking heads were alluding that Aulie didn't get along with Wilson. Not sure that's the right motivation to trade a young guy. Hopefully Ashton works out.

I would've liked to see us go after Kassian, personally.

Seems like a lot of players have issues with Wilson, maybe he's the problem. Still a pretty solid NHL deal according to most but I'm so tired of Wilson's MO here.

Don't know much about Carter Ashton, but it sounds like a deal that helps both sides down the road.

whysoserious wrote:
Seems like a lot of players have issues with Wilson, maybe he's the problem. Still a pretty solid NHL deal according to most but I'm so tired of Wilson's MO here.

+1
Seems everyone can see this now...except for Burke.

ATLTimekeeper wrote:

_venom_ wrote:

ATLTimekeeper wrote:Seemed like the talking heads were alluding that Aulie didn't get along with Wilson. Not sure that's the right motivation to trade a young guy. Hopefully Ashton works out.

I would've liked to see us go after Kassian, personally.

We weren't going to be able to get Kassian with Aulie....Buffalo wanted a young center just like we want a young center.

I bet Burke targeted Hodgson but we didn't have what it took to get it done.

Wasn't implying Aulie was the bait, but maybe Kadri and something else? Anyway, I'm not crying that we didn't get him, just would have been helpful this year.

There's a significant difference between Kadri and Hodgson. Thad 'something else' would have to be a lot more. Vancouver wanted a young physical presence that could contribute right away in the playoff run, Kadri couldn't do that. They wouldn't trade a future star for a downgrade in their lineup.

^ Adding to that, I think I'd deal Kessel for Hodgson and Schneider. Too late now, but it's something I'd offer if I were Burke. I'm THAT high on Hodgson. I watched him a ton in Brampton when I was doing prospect work.

Crowned wrote:^ Adding to that, I think I'd deal Kessel for Hodgson and Schneider. Too late now, but it's something I'd offer if I were Burke. I'm THAT high on Hodgson. I watched him a ton in Brampton when I was doing prospect work.

Hodgson doesnt even give us size/physicality. Kassian would. Id do a Kadri for Kassian deal in a heartbeat. And trading Aulie, is losing a asset that we couldve used to get a Getzlaf or something like that. But Ashton is a good return.

Crowned wrote:^ Adding to that, I think I'd deal Kessel for Hodgson and Schneider. Too late now, but it's something I'd offer if I were Burke. I'm THAT high on Hodgson. I watched him a ton in Brampton when I was doing prospect work.

Are there any conerns with Hodgson's health? I remember his stock was through the roof at one point but seems to have tempered down a bit from then. I like Kassian and would've loved to see him in a Leafs jersey but I was surprised to hear that's all it cost to get Hodgson.

Brew666 wrote:

Crowned wrote:^ Adding to that, I think I'd deal Kessel for Hodgson and Schneider. Too late now, but it's something I'd offer if I were Burke. I'm THAT high on Hodgson. I watched him a ton in Brampton when I was doing prospect work.

Are there any conerns with Hodgson's health? I remember his stock was through the roof at one point but seems to have tempered down a bit from then. I like Kassian and would've loved to see him in a Leafs jersey but I was surprised to hear that's all it cost to get Hodgson.

He suffered a back injury, which made him miss most of the '09 season. He only played 8 games with Vancouver last season, so this is his official rookie season.

His stock was absolutely through the roof until his injury, and some questioned whether he'd be the same player when he returns. He plays with such a calm demeanor on the ice, it's great to watch on the ice. For such a young player, he's really smart out there. He's got a long career ahead of him, and again....he'll be Buffalo's future captain.

WorldBossFTW wrote:

Crowned wrote:^ Adding to that, I think I'd deal Kessel for Hodgson and Schneider. Too late now, but it's something I'd offer if I were Burke. I'm THAT high on Hodgson. I watched him a ton in Brampton when I was doing prospect work.

Hodgson doesnt even give us size/physicality. Kassian would. Id do a Kadri for Kassian deal in a heartbeat. And trading Aulie, is losing a asset that we couldve used to get a Getzlaf or something like that. But Ashton is a good return.

Why would Buffalo trade Kassian for Kadri? They just got Hodgson for him, a rookie that has 16 goals playing on the 3rd line at 12 minutes a game.

Regarding trading assets, Ashton has just as much value on the trade market that Aulie has.

Crowned wrote:

WorldBossFTW wrote:

Crowned wrote:^ Adding to that, I think I'd deal Kessel for Hodgson and Schneider. Too late now, but it's something I'd offer if I were Burke. I'm THAT high on Hodgson. I watched him a ton in Brampton when I was doing prospect work.

Hodgson doesnt even give us size/physicality. Kassian would. Id do a Kadri for Kassian deal in a heartbeat. And trading Aulie, is losing a asset that we couldve used to get a Getzlaf or something like that. But Ashton is a good return.

Why would Buffalo trade Kassian for Kadri? They just got Hodgson for him, a rookie that has 16 goals playing on the 3rd line at 12 minutes a game.

Regarding trading assets, Ashton has just as much value on the trade market that Aulie has.

The Kadri for Kassian deal would be offered before the Hodgson one. And no, Ashton doesnt have as much value as Aulie. Aulie is big and plays great defence,and hes actually shown that he play in the NHL. Ashton is good, but he hasnt even touched the NHL. We dont even know if he will become a good player if/when he gets to the NHL.

It doesn't matter if it were offered before Hodgson or not, you're looking at what Kassian was worth, and what Buffalo wanted in exchange for him. Kadri doesn't have value that either Kassian or Hodgson has.

Games played in the NHL doesn't determine a players value. Aulie was drafted in 2007, Ashton was drafted in 2009...at this point, Aulie should have experience in the NHL.

Ashton has the same amount of points this year in the AHL as Colborne, and is a year younger. Does Colborne have less value than Aulie?

Ashton had a goal and an assist in his Marlies debut.

Crowned wrote:It doesn't matter if it were offered before Hodgson or not, you're looking at what Kassian was worth, and what Buffalo wanted in exchange for him. Kadri doesn't have value that either Kassian or Hodgson has.

Games played in the NHL doesn't determine a players value. Aulie was drafted in 2007, Ashton was drafted in 2009...at this point, Aulie should have experience in the NHL.

Ashton has the same amount of points this year in the AHL as Colborne, and is a year younger. Does Colborne have less value than Aulie?

Yes.