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Nonis expects plenty of trade activity this summer

NonisDave

On Monday, the Maple Leafs were eliminated in heartbreaking fashion by the Bruins. But for Toronto general manager Dave Nonis, there’s not much time to dwell on the past.

Nonis believes there’s going to be a flurry of trades this offseason as teams adjust to a lower salary cap. He also believes the Leafs, who don’t necessarily need to shed salary, may be in a position to take advantage of other clubs’ problems.

As for certain key Leafs players...

James Reimer

“At this point, I would say he’d be back as a No. 1,” said Nonis, adding that goaltending wasn’t a weakness for Toronto this season. Reimer finished the playoffs with a .923 save percentage. The Leafs, of course, were reportedly in talks to acquire Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo and Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff at the trade deadline.

Phil Kessel

The 25-year-old winger has one year remaining on his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent. Nonis heaped praise on his top sniper, but also said there’s no “urgency” to get an extension done.

Tyler Bozak

Kessel’s linemate can become an unrestricted free agent on July 5, and Nonis didn’t sound so sure about getting an extension done: “The numbers have to make sense.” Given the dearth of free-agent centers, Bozak could be looking at a big payday. But maybe not from the Leafs.

Dion Phaneuf

Like Kessel, the Leafs’ captain has one year left on his contract before he’s free to sign anywhere. Phaneuf came under fire during the Boston series after his Game 4 pinch led to the Bruins’ winning goal in overtime. Nonis said today that no Leafs were “untouchable,” and with younger, cheaper blue-liners like Jake Gardiner, Cody Franson, and Carl Gunnarsson, it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if Phaneuf was quietly shopped this summer.