3 NHL Stars That Were Almost Toronto Maple Leafs

Wayne Gretzky

Arguably the greatest player in NHL history, he is at the very least the most prolific.

Gretzky has more assists (1,963) than any other player has points and he boasts over 50 NHL records to this day, over 25 years after his retirement. 

In 1996, Gretzky was 35 and had been traded to the St. Louis Blues as a deadline acquisition from the Los Angeles Kings.

That summer, he did not come to terms on an agreement with the Blues and hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.

After weighing his many options of who to sign with according to reports he had narrowed down to three teams; The Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Then-GM Cliff Fletcher tried hard to make it happen but ultimately, Gretzky opted to re-join longtime Oilers teammate Mark Messier with the Rangers. He signed a two-year agreement and extended one more season to retire as a Ranger in 1999.

Had the Leafs been able to ink a deal with Gretzky, he would have immediately been the best player on the team and it is no telling what could have happened.

Many feel he was the reason that the team was unable to make the Stanley Cup finals in 1993, could he have righted that wrong if he signed in Toronto?