On January 31, 2010 Matt Stajan was the “centerpiece” of the deal that sent Dion Phaneuf and Keith Aulie to Toronto. Niklas Hagman, Ian White, Jamal Mayers, and Frederick Sjostrom were also tangentially involved.  Since that time Dion has been named Captain of the Leafs and appears to have taken a real step forward in becoming a legit top-pairing defenseman in the NHL. How about Matt Stajan? I’m sure glad you asked.

                       

Matt is currently fighting for a roster spot in Calgary after signing a 4 year contract extension worth $3.5 Million a year in the spring of 2010.  For reference, his capgeek contract page list Letang and Ryan Clowe as “comparables”. What else has Matt been up to out West?

This really isn’t about Matt Stajan. I liked Stajan when he was a Leaf, he was a decent C who played a two-way game. Well it sort of is, but more than anything it’s to counteract the countless articles penned when a former Leaf does well anywhere else in the NHL. If a player the Leafs have traded plays well, no matter how briefly, fans are subjected to polemics condemning both the front office as well as the dreaded “Blue and White Disease”. So we’ll keep checking in on Matt, the Mississauga native, throughout the season; it’s really a shame the Leafs let this local boy get away.