Moves That Changed The Maple Leafs Fate For Decades

PUBLICATION

Austin Kelly
August 30, 2023 (12:44)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a chaotic ride the past few years, both on and off the ice, and when it comes to Front Office transactions, many moves made by the team have directly impacted the Leafs to the point of where they are today, for better or worse.

2003 - The Leafs Hire John Ferguson Jr.

Perhaps none have been more synonymous and divisive for their tenure as Leafs GM than John Ferguson Jr., who was hired by Toronto as the team's 12th General Manager, succeeding the legendary Pat Quinn, who had been serving as both Head Coach and GM for the Leafs, continuing to serve as HC. Ferguson, then only 36, made a number of major transactions throughout, signing Free Agents Joe Nieuwendyk & Calle Johansson & trading for Ron Francis & Brian Leetch, longtime NHL Veterans, although all near towards the end of their careers.

2004 : Ferguson Trades For Multiple NHL Legends

The moves became more of an issue as the season went on, with Francis, older than Ferguson himself at 40, acquired late in-season playing 12 Games for Toronto with 10PTS, the future HOFer failed to put it together in the playoffs with just 4PTS. Both Francis and Leetch would play just parts of one season with Toronto. Nieuwendyk, who had a respectable 22G and 50PTS in 64GP, would also leave Toronto post-lockout. The Leafs would go on to lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 2. An already aging squad was spent getting older. It would also be the final season for veterans Owen Nolan, Alex Mogilny & Gary Roberts.

2006 : The Leafs Goaltending Alterations

After the 2005-06 season, the Leafs were tasked with a logjam in their Goalie crease. Veteran Ed Belfour was expected to leave the team, and Toronto still believed they had something left in the tank after missing the playoffs, and so the Leafs decided to acquire Goalie Andrew Raycroft from the rival Boston Bruins. Justin Pogge was quickly establishing himself as one of the NHL's top Goalie prospects, having a sensational WHL season for the Calgary Hitmen, with his .926SV% and 1.72GAA making him an easy choice for the CHL's Goaltender of the Year. However, Boston passed on the chance for the talented and well-respected Pogge, and instead acquired back for Raycroft a player they'd been targeting since the draft, a young Finn named Tuukka Rask, who had begun to establish himself as a starter in Finland's pro league. Unbeknownst to the Leafs, Raycroft was actually expected to not be apart of Boston's longterm plans, and could have been available even without a trade, but the Bruins got their revenge against Toronto for shopping up Rask a pick prior in 2005.

Quickly, Rask became one of the NHL's top Goalie prospects, and later managed to establish himself as one of the best Goalies on his generation, winning a Vezina and Stanley Cup, having a potential Hall of Fame career with the Bruins, holding multiple records for the Original Six club. Pogge, who the Leafs kept, had a mixed time in the Leafs AHL system, before getting a 7 Game stint with the club in the 2008-09 season, although with poor results. It would be the last time Pogge would play in the NHL, and he now plays in Germany, never reaching the highs of fellow Prospect Rask. As a twist in the knife, Raycroft played 72 Games for Toronto, who failed to make the playoffs. The heavy workload may have contributed to Raycroft's struggles later, with the Goalie never playing more than 31 Games in a season.

2009 - The Leafs Make Another Splash With Boston

Jump forward to 2009. In 2007, the Leafs had enough of John Ferguson Jr., and shipped the GM out of town. Chuck Fletcher was the interim for a few quiet years in Toronto, and later, Brian Burke took the helm as the Leafs newest General Manager, trying to reverse the dwindling fortunes of the club. The Leafs already made an important draft move, selecting London Knights C Nazem Kadri 7th Overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, but Burke was focused on building a contender, so Burke decided to pull off a blockbuster, acquiring Phil Kessel from the Boston Bruins in exchange for multiple draft picks. It was hoped the move wouldn't be as lopsided as the Rask trade, and the results of this one was for sure mixed.

Kessel would go on to be one of Toronto's best players, being a consistent top goalscorer, as well as being a 3-time All-Star, although postseason appearance didn't come for the Leafs Star. In return, Boston acquired multiple draft picks from Toronto, one of those being a 1st Rounder in 2010. The Leafs were expected to be revitalized with the signing of Kessel, as well as deals for top players in Dion Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere, however, this didn't stop the bleeding, as Toronto finished 2nd last, the Bruins selecting Tyler Seguin with the pick. Seguin would go on to win the Stanley Cup as a rookie, and would after become a star player for Boston. Their second 1st Rounder, in 2011, became Dougie Hamilton, who like Seguin, became a key player for the Bruins. Both sides got something out of the deal, so it's hard to fault any side, especially Toronto, although a young Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton filled needs the Leafs would spent the next few years trying to sort out.

2013 : Toronto Makes A Free Agent Blockbuster

Before the 2013 season, the Leafs had made most of their biggest acquisitions via Trade, although they did have a few players make an impact through Free Agency and the Draft, but the Leafs made perhaps their biggest post-lockout FA splash, signing David Clarkson to a seven-year deal. Clarkson was coming off a lockout-shortened 15 Goal season with the Devils, a year off a 30-Goal coming out season. Although Clarkson had one-year of high scoring, two if you count the lockout year, his mix of physicality and shooting made him an alluring Free Agent, and the Leafs threw $36.7M his way to solve their need for goalscoring. So how did Clarkson do in that aspect?

He had 5 Goals. In 60 Games.

Clarkson failed to replicate his scoring, coming off as lacking offensive effort and being too wild for his own good. Clarkson had been dropped down to the third line by the end of the season. Injuries and inconsistency finally made Clarkson a liability, and he was shipped to Columbus for Nathan Horton, who never played an NHL game again due to a career ending back injury. Clarkson had always been a risky move, and once that ended up backfiring, although the Leafs did manage to get out of that one easily. His tempered play looked uncontrolled and his offense dried up, making him a shell of the player envisioned when he signed his contract.

2014-2016 : The Leafs Get Draft Relief

Finally, a success story. It's not all doom and gloom in Toronto, although it took some doom to get here. After many years of not being good enough to contend, and not bad enough for a top pick, the Leafs had the 8th Pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, their highest since taking D Morgan Rielly 5th Overall in 2012. Many wanted Ontario-born Nick Ritchie at 8, with the hometown kid being a big-bodied goalscorer with good physicality, but despite some urge to take Ritchie, the Leafs decided to take Swedish Forward William Nylander, who had been an offensive dynamo for MODO of the SHL. Many were upset to see the Leafs pass on the hometown talent, but Nylander quickly proved himself to be worthy of his selection, with Nylander coming over quickly, torching the AHL before quickly becoming one of the top players for Toronto. Those critics, such as Don Cherry, who blasted the Leafs pick at the time, were left with a shoe in their mouth.

The Leafs draft fortunes didn't stop there. In 2015, the Leafs, with the 4th Overall Selection, they took OHLer Mitch Marner, with rumors circulating that then-HC Mike Babcock wanted D Noah Hanifin instead, which, as sensible as it seemed at the time, Leafs fan would say they made the right decision.

But the Leafs obvious best draft selection was their most obvious one, with their poor performances finally landing the team the First Overall Pick, and obviously, the choice pick was ZSC Star Auston Matthews, who proved himself too good for the NTDP, and took his talents to Switzerland to prove himself as a pro. These three picks back-to-back changed the Leafs for the better, revitalizing the organization and after many years of darkness, brought the team back into the spotlight, and gave an optimism of hope for the chance of breaking their Stanley Cup curse.