The Toronto Maple Leafs are on an extended break for the four Nations Face-Off, which means there’s time for our favourite masochistic activity, a Maple Leafs retrospective!
This time we were interested in looking at what happened to all the draft picks the Leafs have dealt away in the Matthews era–starting at the beginning of 2016. For this piece, we’re focusing only on the trades where Toronto actively sent a pick away. In a future piece, we might look at the inverse, all the trades where the Leafs received a pick.
So grab your favourite comfort object and prepare for a long list of trades that led to precisely one playoff series win.
2016
Feb. 28: Traded LW Daniel Winnik and a 2016 fifth-round draft pick to the Capitals for C Brooks Laich, D Connor Carrick, and a 2016 second-round draft pick.
The 2016 fifth-round draft pick turned into LW Beck Malenstyn (WASH, BUF: 155GP, 12G, 21A, 33Pts)
The 2016 second-round draft pick turned into D Carl Grundstrom (LAK, SJS: 274GP, 42G, 32A, 74Pts)
June 20: Traded a 2016 first-round draft pick and a 2017 second-round draft pick to the Ducks for G Frederik Andersen.
The 2016 first-round draft pick turned into C Sam Steel (ANA, MIN, DAL: 392GP, 47G, 87A, 134Pts)
The 2017 second-round draft pick turned into LW Maxime Comtois (ANA, CAR: 211GP, 38G, 49A, 87Pts)
2017
Feb. 27: Traded Byron Froese and a 2017 second-round draft pick to the Lightning for C Brian Boyle.
The 2017 second-round draft pick turned into RW Alexander Volkov (TBL, ANA: 46GP, 7G, 7A, 14Pts)
Oct. 6: Traded Tobias Lindberg and a 2016 sixth-round draft pick to Vegas for G Calvin Pickard.
The 2016 sixth-round draft pick turned into D Peter Diliberatore (0 NHL Games Played)
2018
Feb. 25: Traded LW Kerby Rychel, D Rinat Valiev, and a 2018 second-round draft pick to Montreal for C Tomas Plekanec and RW Kyle Baun.
The 2018 second-round draft pick turned into C Jacob Olofsson (0 NHL Games Played)
June 22: Traded a 2018 first-round draft pick (25th overall) to the Blues for a 2018 first-round draft pick (29th overall) and a 2018 third-round draft pick round.
The 2018 first-round draft pick (25th overall) turned into LW Dominik Bokk (0 NHL Games Played)
June 23: Traded a 2019 sixth-round draft pick to Sabres for a 2018 sixth-round draft pick.
The 2019 sixth-round draft pick turned into D Gustav Berglund (0 NHL Games Played)
Dec 29: Traded a 2020 fifth-round draft pick to Panthers for G Michael Hutchinson.
The 2020 fifth-round draft pick turned into C Dimitry Ovchinnikov.
2019
Jan. 28: Traded D Carl Grundstrom, D Sean Durzi, and a 2019 first-round draft pick to the Kings for D Jake Muzzin.
The 2019 first-round draft pick turned into D Tobias Bjornfot (LAK, VGK, FLA: 128GP, 1G, 14A, 15Pts)
June 22: Traded C Patrick Marleau, a 2020 first-round draft pick, and a 2020 seventh-round draft pick to the Hurricanes for a 2020 sixth-round draft pick.
The 2020 first-round draft pick turned into RW Seth Jarvis (CAR: 280GP, 86G, 105A, 191Pts)
The 2020 seventh-round draft pick turned into RW Alexander Pashin (0 NHL Games Played)
June 22: Traded a 2019 seventh-round draft pick to the Blues for a 2020 seventh-round draft pick.
The 2019 seventh-round draft pick draft pick turned into G Vadim Zherenko (0 NHL Games Played)
July 1: Traded C Nazem Kadri, D Calle Rosen, and a 2020 third-round draft pick to Avalanche for D Tyson Barrie, C Alex Kerfoot and a 2020 sixth-round draft pick.
The 2020 third-round draft pick turned into C Jean-Luc Foudy (COL: 12GP, 1G, 0A, 1Pt)
2020
Feb. 5: Traded LW Trevor Moore, a 2020 third-round draft pick, and a 2021 third-round draft pick to the Kings for G Jack Campbell and LW Kyle Clifford.
The 2020 third-round draft pick turned into RW Alex Laferriere (LAK: 130GP, 26G, 27A, 53Pts)
The 2021 third-round draft pick turned into D Cameron Whynot (0 NHL Games Played)
Oct, 7: Traded a 2020 second-round draft pick to the Senators for a 2022 second-round draft pick and a 2020 third-round draft pick.
The 2020 second-round draft pick turned into D Tyler Kleven (OTT: 73GP, 2G, 5A, 7Pts)
Oct. 7: Traded a 2020 fifth-round draft pick (153rd overall) and a 2020 seventh-round draft pick to the Panthers for a 2020 fifth-round draft pick (137th overall).
The 2020 fifth-round draft pick turned into D Kasper Puutio (0 NHL Games Played)
The 2020 seventh-round draft pick turned into G Devon Levi (BUF: 39GP, 3.29GAA, 0.894SV%)
Oct. 7: Traded a 2021 seventh-round draft pick to the Bruins for a 2020 seventh-round draft pick.
The 2021 seventh-round draft pick turned into D Ty Gallagher (0 NHL Games Played)
2021
April 9: Traded a 2022 sixth-round draft pick to the Blue Jackets for C Riley Nash.
The 2022 sixth-round draft pick turned into LW Joshua Davies (0 NHL Games Played)
April 11: Traded a 2021 first-round draft pick and a 2022 fourth-round draft pick to the Blue Jackets and a 2021 fourth-round draft pick to the Sharks for LW Stefan Noesen and LW Nick Foligno.
The 2021 first-round draft pick turned into D Corson Ceulemans (0 NHL Games Played)
The 2022 fourth-round draft pick turned into G Dennis Hildeby (TOR: 6GP, 3.16GAA, 0.878SV%)
The 2021 fourth-round draft pick turned into C Ethan Cardwell (SJS: 6GP, 1G, 0A, 1Pt)
April 11: Traded a 2022 third-round draft pick to the Flames for G David Rittich.
The 2022 third-round draft pick turned into C Aidan Thompson (0 NHL Games Played)
April 12: Traded a 2022 fifth-round draft pick to the Ducks for D Ben Hutton.
The 2022 fifth-round draft pick turned into RW Michael Callow (0 NHL Games Played)
July 17: Traded C Filip Hallander and a 2023 seventh-round draft pick to the Penguins for LW Jared McCann.
The 2023 seventh-round draft pick draft pick turned into LW Emil Jarventie (0 NHL Games Played)
2022
Feb. 19: Traded LW Nick Ritchie and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Coyotes for LW Ryan Dzingel and D Ilya Lyubushkin.
March 20: Traded a 2022 second-round draft pick, a 2023 second-round draft pick, and a 2024 third-round draft pick to the Kraken for D Mark Giordano and RW Colin Blackwell.
The 2022 second-round draft pick turned into G Niklas Kokko (0 NHL Games Played)
The 2023 second-round draft pick turned into D Lukas Dragicevic (0 NHL Games Played)
The 2024 third-round draft pick turned into Kim Saarinen (0 NHL Games Played)
July 7: Traded G Petr Mrazek and a 2022 first-round draft pick to the Blackhawks for a 2022 second-round draft pick
The 2022 first-round draft pick turned into D Sam Rinzel (0 NHL Games Played)
July 8: Traded a 2022 third-round draft pick (79th overall) to the Golden Knights for a 2022 third-round draft pick (95th overall) and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick
The 2022 third-round draft pick turned into C Jordan Gustafson (0 NHL Games Played)
July 8: Traded a 2023 fourth-round draft pick to the Predators for a 2022 fourth-round draft pick (originally traded from Leafs to Blue Jackets)
The 2023 fourth-round draft pick turned into G Juha Jatkola (0 NHL Games Played)
2023
Feb. 17: Traded C Adam Gaudette, C Mikhail Abramov, a 2023 first-round draft pick, a 2023 third-round draft pick, and a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Blues and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick to the Wild for C Ryan O’Reilly, RW Josh Pillar, and C Noel Acciari.
The 2023 first-round draft pick turned into C Otto Stenberg (0 NHL Games Played)
The 2023 third-round draft pick turned into LW Juraj Pekarcik (0 NHL Games Played)
The 2024 second-round draft pick turned into D Lukas Fischer (0 NHL Games Played)
Feb. 27: Traded LW Joey Anderson, LW Pavel Gogolev, a 2025 first-round draft pick, and a 2026 second-round draft pick to the Blackhawks for D Jake McCabe, C Sam Lafferty, a 2024 fifth-round draft pick and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick.
Feb. 29: Traded a 2023 third-round draft pick to the Canucks for D Luke Schenn.
The 2023 third-round draft pick turned into D Sawyer Mynio (0 NHL Games Played)
2024
March 1: Traded a 2025 third-round draft pick to the Ducks and a 2024 sixth-round draft pick to the Hurricanes for D Ilya Lyubushkin and LW Kirill Slepets.
The 2024 sixth-round draft pick turned into D Roman Shokhrin (0 NHL Games Played)
March 7: Traded a 2024 third-round draft pick and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick to the Capitals for D Joel Edmundson.
The 2024 third-round draft pick turned into G Pavel Moysevich (0 NHL Games Played)
March 7: Traded a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to the Hurricanes for D Cade Webber.
March 8: Traded C Dimitry Ovchinnikov and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick to the Wild for C Connor Dewar.
June 28: Traded a 2024 first-round draft pick (23rd overall) to the Ducks for a 2024 first-round draft pick (31st overall) and a 2024 second-round draft pick (58th overall).
The 2024 first-round draft pick (23rd overall) turned into D Stian Solberg (0 NHL Games Played)
The 2024 first-round draft pick (31st overall) turned into D Ben Danford (0 NHL Games Played)
June 29: Traded a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Panthers for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick and a 2025 second-round draft pick.
The 2024 second-round draft pick turned into C Linus Eriksson (0 NHL Games Played)
June 29: Traded RW Max Ellis and a 2026 seventh-round draft pick to the Stars for D Christopher Tanev.
Not too bad, right?
Honestly, while a lot of the picks haven’t turned into much, the misses hurt.
Especially Seth Jarvis. Getting him from a cap dump is an all-time heist from the Hurricanes, and he is a full-blown star at this point.
But other than that, it’s not as bad as I thought. Maybe rentals aren’t so bad.
