The Leafs will probably not move into the Top Five today

Plus ça change…

Be wary of unsourced information. There are so many rumours that are going to come up within the next week or so, and without knowing the sources, it’s hard to know who is using whom to mess with who.

Agents leak information to reporters that their clients are talking to X number of teams in a hope to raise the bidding. Managers leak information to reporters about league interest in players to heighten or lower their value. While Darren Dreger has a pretty secure job as an NHL Insider, his batting average has also been very low in the last couple of years as he appears to forward about every bit of information that pops up into his text messages folder. Hockey executives know that the information they’re sending him, whether complete or not, is eventually going to find the airwaves.

There’s also the Purple Monkey Dishwasher effect. A “strong chance” the Leafs move up can be translated back to the source as the Leafs having had a lot of conversations with the agent of a highly-ranked prospect.

Take a look at earlier this week when Kris Letang’s camp suggested Letang wanted out. Now he’s apparently re-signed in Pittsburgh. Without any formal discussions between the Penguins and any other team (and Rob Rossi was quite clear about that) there was a lot of belief that a trade opportunity was not only possible, but realistic.

If the Leafs move up for a pick in the Top Five pick, well, we’ll discuss that here. There is a strong chance this will be my last post about a rumour today. Every team in the draft wants to move up, and the Leafs are no different. The Leafs were rumoured to be moving up last year as well, and in 2010, and in 2009.

Also, Happy Draft Day. May your fridge be stocked for eight long hours of television. The Leafs Nation will have our insta-analysis for player movement.