{allcanada} Maple Leafs' Dion Phaneuf doesn't 'pay attention' to the rumors

 

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TORONTO -- When the dust settles on the massive rebuilding project for the Toronto Maple Leafs, there's no guarantee that Dion Phaneuf will still be in town.

But the Maple Leafs captain is not letting the never-ending trade rumors swirling around him and his teammates get into his head.

"I don't pay attention to the distractions on the outside," Phaneuf told USA TODAY Sports during the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour. "Because as soon as you do that, it affects you where it matters most, and that's on the ice."

On the ice, the Maple Leafs have not been good, reaching the playoffs once in the last 10 seasons. It won't get any easier after they traded Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the offseason, either.

Phaneuf, who began a seven-year, $49 million contract in 2014-15, has also been less effective. When you're paid like a top-pairing defenseman, the expectations are that you'll shut down the best forwards and chip in offensively.

Last season, he had three goals and 29 points, one of the worst offensive seasons of his career.  Phaneuf consistently has logged the most ice time and toughest assignments among Maple Leafs defensemen despite the results not necessarily being there in recent seasons.

"Last year, I had an off year. That happens," Phaneuf said. "To me, it's not what I did last year, it's how I respond to that year. I trained real hard all summer. I expect to get my game back to the level where I'm capable of playing at."

The 30-year-old now has Mike Babcock, among the most respected coaches and defensive minds, to help him achieve that goal. Babcock provides an element Phaneuf says is a key to the Maple Leafs' turnaround: structure and details.

"I look at when he was in Detroit -- the success he had. He had guys get injured -- it didn't matter who got injured -- the team still sustained consistency," Phaneuf said.

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