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Top 10 Best Trades in Toronto Maple Leafs History

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 7: Ondrej Kase #25 of the Anaheim Ducks battles against Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 7, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 7: Ondrej Kase #25 of the Anaheim Ducks battles against Jake Muzzin #8 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 7, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 13: Bryan McCabe #24 of the Toronto Maple Leafs . (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

#7. Bryan McCabe is Stolen from Chicago

The trade:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Bryan McCabe
  • Chicago Blackhawks acquire: Alexander Karpovtsev and 2001 4th Round Pick (Vladimir Gusev)

Bryan McCabe was a decent defenseman before getting traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but turned into an amazing one, once he wore the blue-and-white. I’m not sure if it’s because he got to play closer to home (he’s from St. Catharines, ON), but playing in Toronto rejuvenated his career and made this trade a steal.

McCabe played seven seasons in Toronto and was a top-pairing defenseman, typically paired with Tomas Kaberle. As every Toronto Maple Leafs fan remembers, Kaberle would always be the one to fake shots at the point, then pass it over to McCabe for the one-timer, who would benefit immensely because of this.

They were the perfect ying-and-yang combination on the blue-line and were part of a ton of great early 2000s memories in Leafs-Land. Not only did the Toronto Maple Leafs get the best player in the trade, but Karpovtsev and Gusev didn’t really amount to anything. Gusev never played an NHL game, while Karpovtsev only scored seven NHL goals after being traded.

This was a huge win for the Toronto Maple Leafs and McCabe is still loved in the city. Obviously the team never won the Stanley Cup, but he was part of the last team that had a good chance at doing so, when the team lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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