MAJOR: Failed Blockbuster Trade Would Have Sent The Maple Leafs A Hall Of Fame Goalie
The Toronto Maple Leafs search for a goaltender has spanned over a decade now. They have tried and failed on multiple occasions to find the right fit for their group. They are rumored to even have had a blockbuster in place to acquire one of the best goaltenders of the 2010s.
Luongo A Leaf?
According to a new rumor the Toronto Maple Leafs tried to pursue a Roberto Luongo trade back in 2013. The trade would have changed the futures of several prominent NHL players including one of the Maple Leafs' current core four. The trade details are as follows.
Roberto Luongo
To Vancouver Canucks:
Nazem Kadri
Jake Gardiner
2013 First Round Pick (Became Freddie Gauthier)
2014 First Round Pick (Became William Nylander)
The trade at the time would see two of the Leafs young promising players in Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner head to Vancouver along with First Round Picks in 2013 and 2014.
Who Wins The Trade?
This trade would have changed the futures of both teams drastically. While the trade ultimately fell through why don't we take a look at some of the potential changes that would've happened if it did?
— Cory Schneider is never traded to New Jersey, becomes an all-time Vancouver Canuck goaltender
— Bo Horvat becomes a New Jersey Devil (if they keep the same picks)
— Assuming Toronto's pick doesn't get better or worse, Vancouver can collect Nylander/Ehlers at 8th overall as the 2 consensus picks at that spot - they can also get BC Shea Theodore (someone Vancouver's front office has shown interest in) at 23rd overall in 2013
— Kadri, Nylander, Theodore, and Gardiner could have been the beginning of a strong core in Vancouver - they likely never begin the Pettersson/Hughes/Demko arc
— Markstrom never leaves Florida in IRL Luongo trade - they likely pick higher than 11th in 2015, take another power forward (Meier, Rantanen, Zacha) to pair with Barkov
— Toronto has better odds in 2013 Game 7 and likely beats Boston that year - they have a decent shot at making the cup finals (O6 Matchup in Finals CHI vs TOR)
— With Luongo, the Toronto window stays open for longer - Kessel likely remains a Leaf for longer and never goes to Pittsburgh
— When Toronto ultimately rebuilds, it would take a lot longer as they don't have Nylander & Kadri
— Without Luongo, Vancouver could have fallen out of playoffs in 2013 and gotten Domi, Pulock, or Morrissey that season
Luongo was rumoured to go to Toronto for a number of seasons before ultimately becoming a Panther again where he retired. It remains one of the biggest what-ifs in Toronto, Vancouver, and NHL history.
In Vancouver Roberto Luongo gets shipped out which creates a need for a number one goalie. Luckily the Canucks still had Cory Schneider in the organization. He likely stays and potentially becomes the franchise leader in wins. This would also lead to Bo Horvat potentially being selected by another organization since the Canucks selected him with the pick acquired in the Schneider trade.
As for their additions, the Canucks build a new core around veterans Henrik and Daniel Sedin, and young guns Nazem Kadri, and Jake Gardiner. Assuming the Canucks use the picks on the same players William Nylander comes into the fold and becomes part of a new core in Vancouver eventually with Elias Pettersson.
With the Leafs they get Luongo and finally have stability in the net. This gives them a much better chance at winning game 7 of their 2013 series against Boston. Which would lead to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. However, the fall-off once the core assembled ends its prime would be drastic. The Leafs would have entered win-now territory followed by a massive rebuild which came anyway.
The trade will likely go down as one of the biggest what-if situations in NHL history. I'm sure looking back Maple Leafs fans will have mixed feelings. On one hand, that core in 2013 becomes a serious contender. On the other hand, there is a major chance the organization loses out on big parts of their current core which is guaranteed to be able to compete with any team in the league going forward.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 4 | 192 ANSWERS MAJOR: Failed Blockbuster Trade Would Have Sent The Maple Leafs A Hall Of Fame Goalie Would Roberto Luongo have been enough for the Leafs to win a Stanley Cup in 2013? | ||
| Yes | 61 | 31.8 % |
| No | 131 | 68.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | - | - | |
| Mike Amadio | - | - | - | |
| Zach Aston-Reese | - | - | - | |
| Cam Atkinson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| Drake Batherson | - | - | - | |
| John Beecher | - | - | - | |
| Jacob Bernard-Docker | - | - | - | |
| Nick Bjugstad | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Robert Bortuzzo | - | - | - | |
| Shane Bowers | - | - | - | |
| Jesper Bratt | - | - | - | |
| Justin Brazeau | - | - | - | |
| Cal Burke | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| Michael Carcone | - | - | - | |
| Brandon Carlo | - | - | - | |
| John Carlson | - | - | - | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||