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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
OTTAWA, CANADA – MARCH 8: Anton Volchenkov #24 of the Ottawa Senators and Mats Sundin #13 of the Toronto Maple Leafs.. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images) /

#3. Leafs Trade Former Captain for Future Captain

The Trade:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Mats Sundin, Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and 1994 1st Round Pick (Nolan Baumgartner)
  • Quebec Nordiques acquire: Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and 1994 1st Round Pick (Jeff Kealty)

It’s always tough to trade Wendel Clark, who was one of the most loved players in Toronto Maple Leafs history, however this time was easier. The reason it was easy to deal with was because Clark returned to the Leafs two years later, and the team received a future Hall-of-Famer in Mats Sundin..

Both Clark and Sundin were former first-overall picks in the NHL Entry Draft, so this is a huge trade in NHL history. Clark was a fan-favourite in Toronto because not only could he fight and hit, but he could score. He was the perfect power-forward and a player that was easy to love. Sundin on the other hand was a big-man from Sweden, who was much more skilled than physical.

The fact that Quebec traded Sundin away still blows my mind. Sundin was coming off an 84 and 114 point season and was living up to his first-overall selection status. After being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sundin didn’t skip a beat. Sundin had 13-straight 20-plus goal seasons, including 10 seasons of 30-or more goals.

Just like Wendel Clark had been previously, Sundin was named the captain of the team and helped lead the Leafs to two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. For the Toronto Maple Leafs fans born after 1990, Sundin is their almighty god and one of the greatest players in team history.

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