MAPLE LEAFS ACQUIRE THREE PLAYERS FROM PHOENIX

Pat Quinn, general manager and head coach, announced Tuesday that the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired centreman Robert Reichel, centreman Travis Green and right-winger Craig Mills in exchange for defenceman Danny Markov. The club also announced that Reichel and Green have been signed to multi-year contracts. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Reichel, 29, spent last season with Litvinov of the Czech Republic Extraleague. In 49 games he collected 23 goals and 33 assists with 72 penalty minutes. The native of Litvinov, Czech Republic has played in 602 career NHL games, scoring 209 goals and 298 assists with 306 minutes in penalties. He was originally Calgary's fifth choice, 70th overall in the 1989 Entry Draft.

Green, 30, played in 69 games for Phoenix this past season, recording 13 goals and 15 assists with 63 penalty minutes. The native of Castlegar, British Columbia has played in 636 career NHL games and has amassed 148 goals and 209 assists with 463 minutes in penalties. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Green was originally the New York Islanders' second choice, 23rd overall, in the 1989 Entry Draft.

Markov, 24, appeared in 59 games for Toronto last season and recorded three goals and 13 assists with 34 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 190 pound defenseman also appeared in 11 NHL playoff games last year with the Maple Leafs collecting one goal and one assist with 12 penalty minutes. The native of Moscow, Russia has played in 200 career NHL games and has registered nine goals and 36 assists with 137 minutes in penalties. He was Toronto's seventh choice, 223rd overall in the 1993 Entry Draft.

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Puckjunkie Analysis: This is an interesting deal. The Phoenix Coyotes have dedicated themselves to doing two things this summer - getting younger and freeing up cash to try and sign Jeremy Roenick. In both respects they have helped themselves out with this deal. While Markov isn't the catch that Tomas Kaberle would have been, he's still an up-and-coming blueliner. If the Coyotes decide to move Jyrki Lumme, Markov could step in to fill his role on the powerplay. Green has been a disappointment since coming over from Anaheim and Reichel was just too expensive for the 'Desert Dogs' to be able to lure him back from Europe (a problem the Leafs obviously didn't have). Mills is a 27 year-old Toronto native who hasn't really done much in his pro career. 

Fantasy Values: Obviously Reichel goes from zero value to something. The question is what is he going to do. He'll be 30 at the end of this month and is still more than capable. But he needs to be in the right situation. He is prone to pouting which drastically affects his performance. Look for at least 60 points in a 2nd line center role. He's hasn't been much of a special teams performer late in his NHL career, but he should still see plenty of powerplay time. As for Green, this is intersting. The Leafs are so deep up front that you have to wait for the other shoe to drop. It seems a guarantee that Yanic Perrault won't be resigned. Jonas Hoglund was nearly dealt a week ago to Boston and Steve Thomas is an unrestricted free agent. But until those situations are resolved, it's practically impossible to figure out where Green will play. As for Markov, look for him to get plenty of ice-time and improve on his 00/01 season. I would think that 25 points would not be out of the ordinary.