Look how terrible that team looks

Yep lol. They're not going to be good for at least 3-5 years.

NOT having Phanuef as a Leaf is an immediate upgrade. Look how bad previous Leaf regimes were. Still on the "cap" book for 5.73m for departed players. If this trade happens next summer, Kessell retained salary for 6 more years, Phanuef retained for 5 more years.

Agreed. The leafs can take back camp dumps in a Dion trade but they aren't or shouldn't retain salary. It would handcuff them for the better part of a decade.
Also I think Babcock likes Phaneuf so I don't think he will get traded. You need someone to eat up first line minutes to shelter the young developing players

I figure given the average age of the team going forward $3.2 mil retained isnt that much money. And the reality nobody is going to want to pay $7mil for Phaneuf when hes 35.

It's not the amount of money that would handcuff them it's that the leafs will have 2/3 of their retention slots used up for the next 7 years.
I think Phaneuf could retire a maple leaf

You know a fanbase has suffered through bad management when theres concern about not having enough retention slots.

Can't imagine another situation where $5mil in cap space will be opened up with a buyout.

A buy out of Phanuef will cost any average of almost 2.4m a year. A buy out of 5 years, makes the pay out..... 10 years. Geez, I'll probably be dead before he's off the Leafs book. Agree with McJesus, Phanuef will retire as a Maple Leaf....no NHL team would take him. If the Leafs are lucky he will suffer a non painful, long term injury....cap relief.

McJesus, you may be right that Babcock likes him......well, Phanuef hasn't played for a Babcock coached team. We'll see how the love or like affair lasts.

It's amazing the Leafs have cap trouble. Chicago with 3 cups, LA with 2 cups, Pittsburgh 1 cup and a competitive, exciting club should be cap troubled teams, not the Leafs that has made playoffs once in nine years. Thank goodness Pittsburg took Kessell for 6.8m a year.