Top 5 worst Leafs trades since 2000

[Baba Ganoush]

some turned out to be brutal, but the one where I was the most mad at the time of the trade (and even more mad down the road, especially now) was Steen and Colaiacovo for Stempniak.


hopefully a few years from now, Kulemin for a 2nd or whatever won't be on this list.

 

[akiberg8]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned trading a second round pick for Aki Berg.

LA then used that pick to select Mike Cammalleri. I know there is no guarantee that the Leafs would have selected Cammalleri if they had of kept that pick, but it is an example of the dangers of trading away higher round picks for "depth" players.

Seriously, they couldn't find someone to play Berg's minutes in their system or on the free agent market?

one of the better leaf trades of the past century, IMO. Berg was an underrated #5 defenseman that was the team's whipping boy. He played on the leafs for some deep playoff runs and they made the playoffs every year (except his last) IIRC with Berg on the squad.

You can't say the leafs would have picked Cammalleri in the 2nd round either.

 

[Longshot]

some turned out to be brutal, but the one where I was the most mad at the time of the trade (and even more mad down the road, especially now) was Steen and Colaiacovo for Stempniak.


hopefully a few years from now, Kulemin for a 2nd or whatever won't be on this list.

That's a great point. How many of us were mad about these deals at the time? And how much of this is hindsight?

I remember being furious about the Rask trade. Rask was the team's number one prospect and I thought it was a horrible deal from the second I heard it.

I also remember being dumbfounded by the stupidity of the Steen and Colaiacovo trade at the time. I couldn't understand how a team that was supposed to be re-building was trading away young players.

On the other hand, I remember being euphoric about the Owen Nolan deal.

 

[Longshot]

one of the better leaf trades of the past century, IMO. Berg was an underrated #5 defenseman that was the team's whipping boy. He played on the leafs for some deep playoff runs and they made the playoffs every year (except his last) IIRC with Berg on the squad.

You can't say the leafs would have picked Cammalleri in the 2nd round either.

Did you actually read the entire post of mine that you quoted?

I didn't say the Leafs would have drafted Cammalleri. I said that trade for a player, that even you admit was no more than a number 5 d-man, was an illustration of the dangers of trading away higher round picks for "depth" players.

 

[GilmourClarkScores]

Toskala, again, wasn't a bad deal at the time. He had great numbers with San Jose, but then he did dick all here.

The Toskala deal wasn't all that bad considering this came out of it.

 

[Baba Ganoush]

I HATED the Kessel deal so much at the time. not looking nearly as bad now

 

[Longshot]

The Toskala deal wasn't all that bad considering this came out of it.

View attachment 71093

The Toskala deal made the Rask deal even worse.

They trade their best prospect for a goalie and one year later dump him for somebody else.

 

[Puckstuff]

Steen trade, Rask trade etc were horrible BUT

The future Kadri for scraps trade will be the worst.

Steen and Rask hurt but having JVR and Bernier relieve the pain

 

[Longshot]

I HATED the Kessel deal so much at the time. not looking nearly as bad now

I remember thinking that Kessel had the potential to be a great player, but wondering how Burke could make a trade like that knowing his starting goalie going into the season was Toskala. Of course, Burke had signed The Monster and probably thought he was going to be great and take the starting job.

But it seemed like an incredibly risky move to make when your two goalies were a rookie with no experience and guy that was garbage.

 

[Baba Ganoush]

I remember thinking that Kessel had the potential to be a great player, but wondering how Burke could make a trade like that knowing his starting goalie going into the season was Toskala. Of course, Burke had signed The Monster and probably thought he was going to be great and take the starting job.

But it seemed like an incredibly risky move to make when your two goalies were a rookie with no experience and guy that was garbage.

I hated it for reasons that had nothing to do with Kessel the player. I just hated what it meant for the team.

one minute we're a "5 year rebuild" team (which to me was oh so refreshing....finally! no more quick fixes)....and the next minute we're trading our 1st round pick. I was so furious. still am I guess...but nothing to do with Kessel vs Seguin or anything...just so, so dumb at the time, and looking back.

I already mentioned Kulemin....but Kadri is definitely another player that could be on a list like this down the road.

 

[Longshot]

I hated it for reasons that had nothing to do with Kessel the player. I just hated what it meant for the team.

one minute we're a "5 year rebuild" team (which to me was oh so refreshing....finally! no more quick fixes)....and the next minute we're trading our 1st round pick. I was so furious. still am I guess...but nothing to do with Kessel vs Seguin or anything...just so, so dumb at the time, and looking back.

I already mentioned Kulemin....but Kadri is definitely another player that could be on a list like this down the road.

Totally understand that feeling. It was an incredibly risky deal and probably contributed to Burke losing his job. Although it's turning out alright now.

I'm not sure why everybody is worried about Kulemin. He's a third liner, doesn't score much and isn't much of a difference maker. I think he can be replaced relatively easily - similar to getting Raymond and letting McArthur go.

Not sure why everybody is convinced Kadri will be traded. Nonis strikes me as a guy with an extreme amount of patience and has the full support of his superiors. I can't see any scenario where he gives away Kadri in a trade like the others mentioned in this thread. Those kinds of deals just don't happen anymore with the Leafs. He's still on a team friendly deal and has this season and all of next season to develop before a decision has to be made on his future in the organization. I see no reason why the Leafs won't maximize that time and let him work things out.

 

[Longshot]

Just a note to whoever wrote the article linked in the first post. Owen Nolan was not a "rental" player. He came to Toronto at or around the trade deadline and was on the team the entire following season. He may even have been under contract for the next season, but it was wiped out by the Lock Out.

Edit: He lost a season to an injury in there, which would have been the season before the Lock Out. Edit again: it was the season after the Lock Out that he lost due to injury.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Does anyone miss Tlusty ? I wouldn't want him back for free. Could have rec'd more back I suppose, but at the time he was almost considered a bust.

I'm sure the Leafs wanted to draft the player before Tlusty (Little). When he was gone, they should've gone right to Stewart.

 

[The Iceman]

Did you actually read the entire post of mine that you quoted?

I didn't say the Leafs would have drafted Cammalleri. I said that trade for a player, that even you admit was no more than a number 5 d-man, was an illustration of the dangers of trading away higher round picks for "depth" players.

Berg came to the Leafs as a 23 year old former #3 overall draft pick.
Went on to play 4 full seasons.
Hardly a bad trade.

 

[Trainspotter]

I'm sure the Leafs wanted to draft the player before Tlusty (Little). When he was gone, they should've gone right to Stewart.

Then we wouldn't have had to trade for Kessel!

 

[yakfish]

I want the cup too. But not bad enough to click the link.

Lol!

 

[KuleminFan41]

Tlusty = 1 season wonder, 9 goals, 8 assists in 50 games this season.

Steen = injury prone and had 2 goals and 2 assists in 20 games before being traded

They were justified being moved.

 

[Leafidelity]

Another bit of riveting journalism from these guys

 

[scarlet512]

Rask first

Steen second

 

[pooleboy]

1. Rask- no explanation needed, we literally got nothing for a #1 goalie

2. Toskala- we also got a cap dump with giving them our 1st which was used to move up for Logan couture #1 c

3. Steen trade was awful


Those were the worst trades we have made, JFJ did an awful job (thanks peddie), can't really fault patt Quinn because the leafs were going for it so getting players to help the playoff push is necessary in some situation, also Nolan was retained for some time wasn't he? He wasn't just 1 and done like leetch, glen Wesley Ron Francis ect ect

 

[pooleboy]

I remember thinking that Kessel had the potential to be a great player, but wondering how Burke could make a trade like that knowing his starting goalie going into the season was Toskala. Of course, Burke had signed The Monster and probably thought he was going to be great and take the starting job.

But it seemed like an incredibly risky move to make when your two goalies were a rookie with no experience and guy that was garbage.

I realize how it played out didn't work out great for the leafs (2 top 10 picks) but Burke brought in a new winning culture, when we have our 1st I'm much more pro-tank whereas when we are losing I was cheering for us to lose... (And everyone who hates tanking damn rielly is looking pretty good now) but not having our 1sts he brought in the winning culture not waiting for prospects, I think if he did it again he wouldn't do the same (aka in Calgary trade Monahan + 1st for budding superstar) but I think in a backwards way helped us more than not.

 

[MakeTheIronSing]

1. Rask

2. Adam Mair and 2nd round pick (surprise surprise) becomes Mike Cammalleri for Aki Berg

3. Owen Nolan for Brad Boyes Alyn McAuley and 1st round pick (Mark Stuart)

4. 22nd pick Tyler Biggs for 39th John Gibson and 30th Rickard Rakell

5. Svehla for Yushkevich

 

[Eyedea]

Toskala was 1-15-5 in the finnish league not the czech league.

 

[Rare Jewel]

1. Rask

2. Adam Mair and 2nd round pick (surprise surprise) becomes Mike Cammalleri for Aki Berg

3. Owen Nolan for Brad Boyes Alyn McAuley and 1st round pick (Mark Stuart)

4. 22nd pick Tyler Biggs for 39th John Gibson and 30th Rickard Rakell

5. Svehla for Yushkevich

The deals involving draft picks are near impossible to grade.

I mean would we have actually picked Gibson or Rackell? On the face of it 22nd for 30th and 39th is a deal most HFers are crying out for on draft day and seemed to worth while.


As for the worst deals; Rask and the Steen deals are tops.

 

[MakeTheIronSing]

Steen is overrated, and quite frankly, nothing more than the flavour of the month. We traded him when he, the Leafs, and his injury prone counterpart Carlo Coliacavo were all terrible. The guy has never played a whole season, has surpassed 50 points once in his 10 seasons after being drafted in the 1st round and is now reaping the benefits of playing on one of the best teams in the NHL.

I also don't buy into the whole draft picks are impossible to guage. If it was impossible to gauge these types of things than in theory there should be no reason to trade up to begin with because if everything is unknown with too many variables than what's the point in trading up or down to begin with?