With his team's playoff hopes all but dashed, Leafs General Manager Brian Burke announced a pair of major trades Sunday, bringing in goalie J.S. Giguere from the Anaheim Ducks and elite defender Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames.

Burke said the moves are intended to shake his team into action after a disappointing season.

From the Flames, the Leafs acquire:

  • Phaneuf
  • Forward Fredrik Sjostrom
  • Youngster Keith Aulie

To the Flames, the Leafs sent:

  • Forward Matt Stajan
  • Forward Niklas Hagman
  • Forward Jamal Mayers
  • Defender Ian White

In the second major trade, the Leafs grabbed former Conn Smythe winner Giguere, sending two players to Anaheim:

  • Goalie Vesa Toskala
  • Forward Jason Blake

Phaneuf, 24, is considered one of the league's top defenders, but his point production has slipped this year. In 55 games this season, he's notched 10 goals and 12 assists with the Flames.

Burke said he hopes the new blood will help revive his troubled team, which is tied for second-last in the league and in the midst of a six-game losing streak. The Leafs haven't made the playoffs since 2004.

Burke described Phaneuf as a "warrior."

"He's got a cannon for a shot. He plays the game hard."

Meanwhile, Giguere and Burke's relationship has paid big dividends in the past, as both were part of the Anaheim Ducks' Stanley Cup victory in 2007.

"I've never had a goalie that works as hard as J.S. Giguere," Burke said.

"He takes every scoring chance in practice as a personal challenge and works like a dog."

In a phone interview with CTV News, Giguere said he is glad to be moving to Toronto.

"I feel like I still have some hockey left in me, so I wanted to get a chance to be a number one goalie somewhere, and I feel like in Anaheim that wasn't going to happen," he said.

Burke said bringing Giguere to Toronto is about "stabilizing the goaltending position, which we have been unable to do this season to our detriment."

He won the Conn Smythe trophy for most valuable player during the 2003 playoffs.

Giguere, 32, is 4-8-5 with Anaheim so far this year, registering a .900 save percentage.

Removing a sense of 'entitlement'

Burke said he hopes the changes will rid Leaf players of a "sense of entitlement," where players expect they will lace-up regardless of performance because there is a lack of strong players on the team.

He said he wants to bring top-flight talent to the team so that players have to fight for ice time.

Darren Dreger, TSN's Hockey Insider, said the move is important as the Leafs attempt to hit the reset button and rebuild their squad for next year.

"Toronto moved good players for three young men who will be big pieces of the Maple Leafs continued rebuild," Dreger said.

"Moving Hagman and White was only going to be done if the return was substantial enough. Clearly, it was."

Fans happy about the big names

At the Maple Leafs online web forum Leafspace.com, fans were excited for Phaneuf and Giguere, but were skeptical about the lesser-known players.

User IanSpitzig said pairing Phaneuf with current Leafs defender Tomas Kaberle, Luke Schenn, Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek will create the best defence in the league.

"They are going to crush people," he wrote.

User PinkFloydSound17 said he thinks Phaneuf is so good, he will eventually become Leafs' captain.

"He is a leader who provides offense from the blue line as well as a physical presence that is second to none."

But other fans were upset about the Leafs bringing in lesser-known players, like Sjostrom.

"This season at Calgary Flames he played 46 games, scored one goal and made five assists," wrote user NorwegianLeaf.

"We need better players, not bench warmers."

Sad to leave

Stajan said he is sad about leaving Toronto, but he thinks a move to Calgary will be positive.

"Changes are here. I'm looking forward to it. It might be a good thing for myself, and I'll make the most of it," he said.

Leafs Centre John Mitchell told CTV News that it is hard to see so many of his team members go, but trades are the reality of the business.

"When your team is struggling, there's going to be trades," he said.