The NHL will keep an eye on potential player transactions between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks this season because of the possibility of Ducks general manager Brian Burke becoming the Leafs' next GM.
But the league hasn't issued an edict that a trade can't occur between the clubs. In fact, current Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher confirmed that he had interest in Anaheim's 21-year-old rookie, Bobby Ryan.
"I haven't talked with Burkie, but I have talked with [senior vice-president of hockey operations] Bob Murray," Fletcher said. "We knew they were looking to dump either [Ryan or Mathieu Schneider] because they were over the salary cap."
The Leafs were not interested in Schneider, 39, but a young prospect such as Ryan, selected second overall after the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby in 2005, would have been a good addition.
The Ducks alleviated their salary-cap problems when they dealt Schneider to the Atlanta Thrashers on Monday and defenceman Sean O'Donnell to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
