The Sun: Maple Leafs' all-traded first-round all-stars

[hockeywiz542]

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/02/01/leafs-all-traded-first-round-all-stars

Here a starting six comprised of the Leafs’ lost generation:

Goal

Roberto Luongo

Leaf connection: This pick was traded to the Islanders in 1997 when Leafs ownership started getting misty-eyed about Wendel Clark. Cliff Fletcher undid some of his good work in the Mats Sundin trade by packing Kenny Jonsson, Darby Hendrickson, junior Sean Haggerty and this first-rounder for Clark, Mathieu Schneider and D.J. Smith. The Isles took Luongo fourth overall.

Defence

Scott Niedermayer

Leaf connection: Opening the 1989-90 season with a 1-5 record and 37 goals against, GM Floyd Smith hit the panic button. He grabbed veteran defenceman Tom Kurvers, a member of the 1986 Cup champion Canadiens, from New Jersey. The price would not have to be paid until two years down the road when Smith obviously thought the Leafs would be higher in the standings.

But the team spent all of the 1990-91 sweating that Jersey would end up with Eric Lindros. The Leafs avoided the cellar, but lost on Niedermayer third overall.

Defence

Darius Kasparaitis

Leaf connection: The Isles wanted to move up in the ’92 draft, while Fletcher didn’t want to fall too far and miss for a creative centre Brandon Convery. Toronto took the gamble Convery would still be there at eighth spot and also came away with feisty forward Grant Marshall. But neither made much impact, while the abrasive and colourful Lithuanian played close to 1,000 regular season and playoff games on defence.

Forward

Dainius Zubrus

Leaf connection: Toronto gave the Flyers a first- and second-rounder as part of the package for defenceman Dmitry Yushkevich from the Flyers. Missing a Kasparaitis-type player to keep foes honest crossing the blueline, the Leafs did well by Yushkevich for years. But long after he was forced to curtail his NHL career because of blood clots and later ended his playing days in the KHL, Zubrus is still going strong at age 34.

Forward

Tyler Seguin

Leaf connection: The book on the Phil Kessel trade is far from closed. But Leafs scouts had to put on a brave face for TV at the 2010 draft when Boston called Seguin’s name second-overall after the team’s unexpected crash and burn. Kessel’s awkward exit from Boston and his discomfort in the Toronto spotlight contrasted with Seguin’s appeal as the Bruins were taking off.

Forward

Lars Eller

Leaf connection: GM John Ferguson’s attempt to improve goaltending and get some toughness in the lineup led to a big 2007 trade with San Jose for Vesa Toskala and winger Mark Bell. Ferguson had a strong scouting background and knew the pitfalls of Toronto giving up yet another high pick. But there was also pressure to make the playoffs. The Sharks moved the pick to the Blues who selected the big Danish-born forward.

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[Leafidelity]

Hindsight, where everyone is a hockey expert.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

I only see 3 all-stars.

Every team makes mistakes or misses guys in the draft. Toronto just has more newspapers.

Even when Toronto was one of the best teams in the league with Sundin, Roberts, Mogilny, Tucker, Kaberle, McCabe, Cujo then later Belfour and others all I ever heard was how the Leafs sucked and weren't Detroit.

 

[yideboit]

= me

 

[BayStBullies]

Your definition of "all-star" is pretty lax.

This has been beaten to death; the Leafs never traded any of these players. They traded picks; many other factors need to be considered for who those picks ended up being. Tracing them back to the Leafs is completely pointless.

If you gave me a dollar; then I gambled that dollar and made thousands; could I laugh at you for losing thousands of dollars? That is the same "logic"; which is obviously flawed.

 

[Brewsky]

Meh, every team could have one of these generated.

 

[p.l.f.]

dont they have anything better to do at the toronto sun sports department ?

 

[charliolemieux]

Hindsight, where everyone is a hockey expert.

LMAO

If Was coach I would have sat Devereaux before he scored that hattrick.

 

[charliolemieux]

dont they have anything better to do at the toronto sun sports department ?

Now that Burke is gone they are taking every pot shot they can. There is no one at MLSE with the Cajones to stand up and come back at them.

 

[Stephen]

LMAO

If Was coach I would have sat Devereaux before he scored that hattrick.

But then we'd have a garbage center in Brayden Schenn instead of Kadri...

 

[Bravid Nonahan]

Good grief, in what universe is Danius Zubrus an all star?

And Lars eller? LMAO

If Lars Eller is an all-star, Kessel is a more dominant version of Gretzky.

 

[charliolemieux]

But then we'd have a garbage center in Brayden Schenn instead of Kadri...

Right you are.

Umm, I would have never signed Gerber.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

Leafs All-Star Roster

90s/early 2000's
Sundin: amazing trade for us
Gilmour: ditto
McCabe: ditto
Kaberle: one of the last picks in his year

Last season (our 3 guys that played in the all-star game)
Phaneuf: acquired for a pile of garbage
Kessel: costly acquisition but a heck of a sniper
Lupul: acquired in a landslide win of a trade for us

 

[charliolemieux]

Good grief, in what universe is Danius Zubrus an all star?

And Lars eller? LMAO

If Lars Eller is an all-star, Kessel is a more dominant version of Gretzky.

Gretzky wishes he was as good as Kessel.















If I don't put a smilie how many people will freak at that?

 

[achtungbaby]

Yikes.

 

[hobarth]

Maybe some mention should also be made of all the poor choices TO has made over the years and the possibility that say TO had it kept the Neidermeyer choice might have chosen someone else sort of like the Schenn choice instead of picking Karlsson.

I always thought the concept of using the rest of the NHL as your farm team made sense when TO had deep pockets but in a cap world not so much.

TO was looking to win now not build for later, in those days you could spend your way to contention.

 

[charliolemieux]

Maybe some mention should also be made of all the poor choices TO has made over the years and the possibility that say TO had it kept the Neidermeyer choice might have chosen someone else sort of like the Schenn choice instead of picking Karlsson.

I always thought the concept of using the rest of the NHL as your farm team made sense when TO had deep pockets but in a cap world not so much.

TO was looking to win now not build for later, in those days you could spend your way to contention.

Antropov instead of Simon Gagne. His 47 goals in 05-06 would have looked sweet beside Sundin.

 

[Kyle Doobas*]

You could do this with literally any team in the NHL

People are getting paid to write some really stupid **** lately

 

[DD03]

Let's not forget team like Ottawa letting Chara walk. Habs trading Gomez for McDonagh. Anaheim trading Gardiner + Lupul for Beauchemin. The lump change we gave up for Dion. There's plenty of times you can go back and see mistakes in hockey. Useless threads.

 

[pooleboy]

Now didn't we trade a 1st that later (with a trade idk exactly the pick) up to get couture for toskalol. Lol at the sun if u count that.


No big deal, everybody makes mistakes, they were pushing for success, what are u gonna do? Learn from your mistakes and take it slow aka nonis

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Zubrus? really? This is why I use the sun as toilet paper. You could literally go down the list for any team in this league and find good players and/or picks that ended up being good players that were dealt.

 

[hobarth]

Now didn't we trade a 1st that later (with a trade idk exactly the pick) up to get couture for toskalol. Lol at the sun if u count that.


No big deal, everybody makes mistakes, they were pushing for success, what are u gonna do? Learn from your mistakes and take it slow aka nonis

I thought that's what Nonis was going to do, then he quickly signs injury prone, career year Lupul. For what Lupul did last year he deserves 5.5 mil. up until game 66 then the real Lupul emerged but considering Lupul's past of injuries and production nowhere near what he accomplished last year, I think Nonis jumped the gun. I expect Nonis is feeling tremendous pressure to right the good ship Leafs.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Does it look like I give a damn?

But seriously, who cares? We can't change the past, so bringing it up to make us feel bad won't do any good, except bring traffic to their site, which I hope none of you guys do. **** giving them the satisfaction.

 

[RealisticLeaf55]

Lars Eller? Kasperitis? Really? How about when the habs traded Patrick Roy for nothing or gave away Halak for Eller? After that trade they lost any chance of making it past the first round of the playoffs.

 

[tp71]

Dainus Zubrus to get Dmitri Yushkevich. Honestly, I never thought I'd see the day someone would complain about that.

The only one that really annoys me is the Tom Kurvers trade. But knowing us, we would have had 2nd overall, missed Lindros and instead of grabbing Niedermayer we would have went with the Sharks and taken Pat Falloon.