Maple Leafs trading Phaneuf may be a precursor to something much bigger.

The Toronto Maple Leafs executed a major trade on Tuesday exchanging a total of 9 players with the Ottawa Senators, including their now former captain Dion Phaneuf.

It's a huge deal, and the biggest pieces coming back to Toronto were Ottawa's 2nd round draft pick in 2017 and prospect Tobias Lindberg. The Toronto fan base has made no secret about their feelings on Phaneuf, and they may simply be happy with this return, however that may not be Toronto's ultimate motivation behind this deal.

We have all heard the major rumors of Steven Stamkos potentially coming to Toronto next season, and it appears Toronto may have now just set the table for a blockbuster offer to bring Stamkos to the Maple Leafs. According to Brian Wilde this was the Leafs clearing the table for Stamkos and he believes this puts additional pressure on Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman.

According to Kevin Gibson of TSN research the Leafs are now looking at nearly $30 million in cap space next season, something almost unheard of for this franchise, but recent deals shipping David Clarkson, Phil Kessel, and now Dion Phaneuf have really opened up their options.

Whether it's Stamkos or something else, the Leafs are certainly setting the stage for some big moves.

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