Five Maple Leafs Who Reached New Heights After Leaving Toronto

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Travis Neil
July 27, 2023 (9:09 PM)

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Toronto is a very hard and extreme market to play in and for many players can become too difficult to play in.

Now there has been times that the Leafs have either given up too soon on players or let certain players leave and have made the Leafs regret letting them leave.

Here are five most recent players to have left and done better than the Leafs have.

#1 Phil Kessel

Phil Kessel was a solid top-six player for the Leafs but the teams with and around him could never quite get it done in the playoffs, leading to Kessel being trade in 2015 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Kessel Trade:

TORONTO Receives: Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling and a conditional first round pick in 2016 (Sam Steel)

PITTSBURGH Receives: Phil Kessel Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon, and a conditional six round pick in 2016 (Kasper Bjorkqvist)

When you look back at the trade Kessel is now a three-time Stanley Cup champion two of which were won on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Meanwhile the Leafs have nothing to really show for the trade as all the pieces are gone from the roster now.

#2 Nazem Kadri

Nazem Kadri was looking like he was going to be in Toronto for a very long time as a productive 2nd line center however after wining the Auston Matthews sweepstakes and acquiring John Tavares in free agency, there was simplying no room for Kadri on the team.

Kadri was traded in the 2019 season to the Colorado Avalnche.

Kadri Trade:

TORONTO Receives: Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot and a 2020 sixth round pick (Joe Miller)

COLORADO Receives: Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen and a 2020 third round pick (Jean-Luc Foudy)

Kadri of course was apart of the Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche and played a very crucial role to the team.

Barrie has since left the Leafs and is now a member of the Nashville Predators and Alexander Kerfoot is now a member of the Arizona Coyotes.

#3 Alex Steen

Alex Steen was a former 2002 first-roud draft pick of the blue and white =, he spent four years with the team before being traded to the St. Louis Blues.

Steen Trade:

TORONTO Receives: Lee Stempniak

ST. LOUIS Receives: Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo

Steen went on to be a four time 20-goal scoring and winning a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues before retiring.

Stempniak went on to play just two seasons with the Leafs before leaving the team.

#4 Tyler Bozak

The defensive specialist center Tyler Bozak was an undrafted college free agent picked up by the Leafs and was slotted in the top-six for each of his first six seasons in the NHL.

Bozak choose to leave the Leafs organization and won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in his first year with the team.

He is currently unsigned and will most likely retire.

#5 Zach Hyman

A really recent one that hurts many Leaf fans to this day. Zach Hyman was acquired by the Leafs from Florida for Greg McKegg.

Hyman is a main embodiment of a hard working gritty forward. The Leafs have failed to find a suitable replacement for him yet.

He choose to sign with the Edmonton Oilers this past season and had a career year with 36 goals and 83 total points in 79 games played this past season.

As Seen on DailyHive - 5 former Leafs players who excelled after leaving Toronto