After the surprising trade between the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, we’re turning back the clock and taking a look at the most impactful trades between Canadian teams since 1980.
Maple Leafs acquire Rick Vaive
Date: February 18, 1980
Toronto received: Rick Vaive, Bill Derlago
Vancouver received: Tiger Williams and Jerry Butler
Breakdown: Vaive developed into one of the most popular Leafs of the decade, becoming the first Leafs player to ever score 50 goals in a single season, and served as team captain from 1982-86. Derlago was also a prolific goal scorer for the Leafs, with four season over 30 goals playing alongside Vaive.
Canadiens land Russ Courtnall
Date: November 7, 1988
Toronto received: John Kordic and Montreal’s 6th round choice (Michael Doers) in 1989 Entry Draft
Montreal received: Russ Courtnall
Breakdown: The Leafs wanted toughness and Courtnall’s offensive numbers were declining but Courtnall regained his scoring flash, with 82 goals in 250 games for Montreal.
Canucks acquire Jyrki Lumme From Habs
Date: March 3, 1990
Montreal received: 2nd-round selection in 1991
Vancouver received: Jyrki Lumme
Breakdown: Lumme proved to be a popular defender in Vancouver, providing an offensive punch from the blue-line and helping the Canucks reach the 1994 Stanley Cup final. Lumme is on the Canucks’ Wall of Fame at Rogers Arena.
Winnipeg Jets add Ed Olczyk
Date: November 10, 1990
Toronto received: Dave Ellett and Paul Fenton
Winnipeg received: Ed Olczyk and Mark Osborne
Breakdown: Ellett played seven seasons with Toronto as the team made two deep playoff runs in 1993 and 1994. In 1992, the Jets traded Olczyk to the New York Rangers and sent Osborne back to the Leafs.
Oilers, Leafs complete Damphousse trade
Date: September 19, 1991
Toronto received: Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson and Craig Berube
Edmonton received: Vincent Damphousse, Peter Ing, Scott Thornton and Luke Richardson
Breakdown: Toronto acquired two future Hall-of-Famers, with Fuhr holding the Leafs over until Felix Potvin emerged. Anderson reached the 1,000-point mark with the Leafs and was a key part of their 1993 playoff run. Damphousse shined in Edmonton with 89 points in 1991-92 but only lasted a season with the Oilers (see below).
Leafs land Doug Gilmour in 10-player deal
Date: January 2, 1992
Toronto received: Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville and Rick Wamsley
Calgary received: Gary Leeman, Alexander Godynyuk, Jeff Reese, Michel Petit and Craig Berube
Breakdown: The largest trade in NHL history, Gilmour became one of the most popular Leafs of all time. In 1992-93, he scored a franchise-record 127 points, en route to leading the team to the Western Conference final. Gilmour became captain in 1994. He recently had his number lifted to the rafters at the Air Canada Centre.
Canadiens pick up Damphousse
Date: August 27, 1992
Montreal received: Vincent Damphhousse, Edmonton’s 4th round choice (Adam Wiesel) in 1993 Entry Draft
Edmonton received: Shayne Corson, Brent Gilchrist and Vladimir Vujtek
Breakdown: Damphousse made an instant impact with his hometown club, with 97 points in 1992-93 and guiding the Habs to their 24th Stanley Cup. Damphousse also served as the Canadiens’ captain from 1996-99.
Leafs, Nordiques shock hockey world
Date: June 28, 1994
Quebec received: Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and Toronto’s 1st round choice (Jeffrey Kealty) in 1994 Entry Draft
Toronto received: Mats Sundin, Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and Philadelphia’s 1st round choice in 1994 Entry Draft
Breakdown: Although fans were sad to see the popular Clark leave town, Sundin scored the most goals (420) and points (987) in franchise history and served as the Leafs’ captain from 1997-2008. Clark spent a year in Quebec before getting shipped to the New York Islanders and then right wound up right back in Toronto.
Leafs pick up enforcer Domi
Date: April 7, 1995:
Toronto received: Tie Domi
Winnipeg received: Mike Eastwood and Toronto’s 3rd round choice (Brad Isbister) in 1995 Entry Draft
Breakdown: Along with Sundin, Domi was one of the most popular Leafs during his tenure for his willingness to drop the gloves with even the toughest of opponents and stayed with Toronto for the rest of his career.
Oilers add Jason Smith from Leafs
Date: March 23, 1999:
Toronto received: 4th round pick in 1999 (Jonathan Zion) and 2nd round pick in 2000 (Kris Vernarsky).
Edmonton received: Jason Smith
Breakdown: The Leafs didn’t know they were giving up much when they shipped out Smith, but the defenceman provided leadership for the Oilers and was named the team’s captain in 2001, wearing the “C” for five seasons.
Canucks snag Sami Salo from Sens
Date: September 21, 2002
Vancouver received: Sami Salo
Ottawa received: Peter Schaefer
Breakdown: Almost a decade later, Salo is still manning the blue-line for the Canucks. Schaefer played four seasons for Ottawa, scoring a career-high 20 goals and 30 assists in 2005-06
Leafs steal Phaneuf
January 31, 2010
Toronto received: Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie
Calgary received: Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White
Breakdown: Although Phaneuf recently topped an overrated player list, Phaneuf emerged as the Leafs leader, adding the “C” to his jersey in 2010. The six-foot-six Aulie is also considered a top prospect in the Leafs organization.
