Wow. The Maple Leafs just acquired Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward, Andy Rogers and a 4th round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Richard Petiot.
Kolzig is on the Injured Reserve and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. No worries for Martin Gerber then as he will continue to be the Toronto Maple Leafs' number one goalie. Did anyone else feel like gouging out their eyes after reading that? Well how do you think I feel after cutting my hands off after writing it.
That picture accurately reflects Heward's mental state right now. He is concussed and will join Olaf in free agency this summer. He will likely never dress for the Leafs.
Andy Rogers does not get a nice picture or stats because he is a 22 year old 6'5" defensive prospect. He is a stay at home defender and here is his Hockey's Future profile:
Many scouts will agree with Rogers. His combination of defensive play, physical presence, and sheer skating ability make him an intriguing prospect to say the least. Many teams may look over his offensive shortcomings, simply because of his smooth stride and physical stature.
Future
Finding the combined size and skating ability that Rogers possesses is rare, especially in a defensemen. But because of his limited offensive upside, may find himself further down a club's depth chart.
With his defensive presence, Rogers could play an important role on any hockey club, but he does not appear to have superstar potential.
That tells you all that you need to know about the player that the Leafs are sending to Tampa Bay. They must have a complete set of minor league defencemen by now. Anyway, in a year in which the Leafs' defence was riddled with injuries and the club dressed nine rookies for over 300 man games (eventually) Petiot did not get a sniff.
So it looks like Burke just bought a fourth round pick and a prospect and the Lightning must be in serious financial trouble if this deal makes sense for them.
Update:
Mirtle has more details on the cap/revenue sharing implications of the deal.