Which Leafs will play in the 2022 Olympics?
According to Pierre LeBrun, the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement features NHL participation in the 2022 and 2026 Olympics, barring negotiations with the International Olympic Committee.
Bruce Cassidy on Toronto as a hub city: “We’ve played well in that rink in the playoffs”
Though there hasn’t yet been an announcement, it appears as though Toronto is going to be named as one of the NHL’s hub cities for the 2020 playoffs.
The NHL’s salary cap could remain stagnant for the next three seasons
The NHL will be feeling the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic for years to come.
Best Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 1: Sending Wendel Clark to Quebec for Mats Sundin
I kicked off this series by naming Cliff Fletcher’s re-acquisition of Wendel Clark — the one that ultimately cost them the first-round draft pick that was used on Roberto Luongo — as the fifth-worst trade in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs (since 1967).
Worst Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 1: Rask for Raycroft
Tuukka Rask is the all-time leader in wins among goaltenders drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Every single one of those wins has been with the Boston Bruins.
Best Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 2: Getting Doug Gilmour from the Flames in a 10-player swap
We’ll pick up where we left off yesterday with the Leafs sitting second-last in the league after a miserable failure of a season in 1990-91.
Worst Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 2: Giving away their 1991 first-round pick
There are multiple examples of the Leafs trading away their first-round pick way too early and it blowing up in their face. It’s amazing that the organization didn’t learn its lesson after the 1991 debacle.
Best Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 3: Grant Fuhr for Dave Andreychuk, Darren Puppa, and a first-round pick
In the early-1990s, the small-market Edmonton Oilers were blowing their team up and selling off all of the key players remaining from their 1980s dynasty. The Leafs, who hadn’t been a serious contender in years, decided to get in on the sale.
Worst Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 3: Punch Imlach pushes Darryl Sittler out the door
You can view the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs in two distinct periods — before Harold Ballard and after Harold Ballard.
Best Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 4: Luke Schenn fo James van Riemsdyk
Brian Burke’s time in Toronto was very clearly a failure. The team posted a 128-135-42 during his four seasons as the team’s general manager, never coming close to playoff contention.
Worst Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 4: Russ Courtnall for John Kordic
Adding truculence to the lineup was a thing that enamoured executives of the Toronto Maple Leafs long before Brian Burke infamously popularized the term in Toronto. The worst example of swapping skill for muscle in franchise history came back in the late-1980s.
Best Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 5: Flipping Francois Beauchemin for Jake Gardiner and Joffrey Lupul
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be counting down the best and the worst trades the Toronto Maple Leafs have made since 1967.