Mike Santorelli chose to look at the sunny side of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ situation Monday, mere hours after being traded from the NHL’s 26th-place team to the league’s leader.
“The team is playing a better all-around game. We made some strides in the D zone and play away from the puck. Some games we got a little snake-bitten as far as not being able to score, but there’s definitely strides that were made,” the versatile forward told Jeff Blair on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Monday. “I think everything will work out.”
LISTEN: Mike Santorelli talks about the trade from Toronto to Nashville
The futures of captain Dion Phaneuf and star winger Phil Kessel are pivotal to the Maple Leafs’ rebuild, which was kick-started by Sunday’s trade of Santorelli and defenceman Cody Franson to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a first-round pick, prospect Brendan Leipsic and centre Olli Jokinen.
Asked by Blair about the odds of Phaneuf and Kessel wearing the Blue and White next season, Santorelli spoke highly of his former teammates.
“They’re both great guys; I really enjoyed playing with them. They’re world-class hockey players, and they’ve proven that. Dion is a big, physical defenceman that can move the puck, and he plays on the power play. I’ve never played with anybody that can shoot the puck like that,” Santorelli said. “I have every confidence that those two will be a big part of [a team] moving forward, whether they’re here or wherever they go.”
The 29-year-old Santorelli is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. As a depth forward in Toronto this season, he produced 11 goals and 18 assists in 57 games.
“I kinda knew it was going to happen,” said Santorelli of the trade, which sent him back to the team that drafted him in 2004. “That’s how the business works.”
