TORONTO, March 5 (UPI) -- Toronto finally landed a big fish Wednesday, acquiring San Jose captain Owen Nolan for centers Alyn McCauley and Brad Boyes and a 2003 first-round draft pick.
After losing out in the free-agent bidding for Bobby Holik and Darius Kasparaitis, and making unsuccessful trade proposals for Alexei Kovalev, Vaclav Varada, and Dmitry Yushkevich, the Maple Leafs got Nolan, a premier power forward.
Despite a sluggish start, he has 22 goals, 20 assists, and 91 penalty minutes in 61 games. In Toronto, he will be reunited with Pat Quinn, who coached him last year on the Canadian Olympic team.
"This was a difficult deal to make since we gave up good, young, quality players and quality people, but we feel Owen Nolan is a special player," Quinn said.
The Maple Leafs, who are entrenched in second place in the Northeast Division, will pick up the rest of his $5.5 million salary this season as well as $13 million over the next two years.
The trade could signal the dismantling of the Sharks, who likely will miss the playoffs after being tabbed by many as a challenger for the Western Conference title. Firing Coach Darryl Sutter did nothing to reverse the fortunes of San Jose, which is in last place in the Pacific Division.
"Our performance this season, among other variables, was a factor in this decision and our evaluation of our team," said Sharks General Manager Dean Lombardi. "This deal helps us address some concerns while providing us with key players and assets that will help us get back on track."
San Jose is heralding Boyes, 20, as the key acquisition. He was the 24th overall pick in the 2000 draft, and was the leading scorer for the St. John's Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League with 23 goals and 28 assists in 65 games.
McCauley, 25, is a third- or fourth-line center who has just six goals and nine assists in 64 games this season, his sixth in the NHL.
"Both McCauley, who is a proven NHL player, and Boyes, one of the top prospects in hockey, will help maintain our competitive level of play while improving our team as we move forward," Lombardi said.
With the NHL trade deadline set for Tuesday at 3 p.m. Eastern time, the Sharks could be ready to unload other high-priced veterans like Teemu Selanne, Vincent Damphousse, and Adam Graves.
