I was struggling for ideas today and couldn’t think of what to write. Luckily somebody on the Sportsnet Facebook page left this comment on one of my most recent Leafs trade trees.
Two things, sir:
- It’s Sergei Berezin, not Berazin.
- That’s a fantastic idea!!!
So let’s take a look back at this blockbuster deal!
Sergei Berezin was what you might call a pure goal-scorer. He played for the Leafs for five seasons and had more goals than assists in all but one of them. He even had more goals than assists in each of his four seasons in Russia before the Leafs selected him in the 10th round of the 1994 draft, and two more times in Germany before making the jump to the NHL.
This video from his arrival in North America says it all at 13 seconds in:
Berezin scored 126 goals in 357 games with the Leafs, including a 37-goal campaign in the 1998-99 season. You might remember his series-clinching goal against the Flyers from that season.
Berezin’s 126 goals with the Leafs sits 33rd all-time with the team and his 1,104 shots as a Leaf puts him 18th in that category.
Berezin fell from 37 goals in 1998-99 to 26 in 1999-00 and then 22 in 2000-01. Berezin was temporarily sidelined with a calf injury in January 2001 that lead to an opportunity for a young Alex Ponikarovsky to show what he was made of at the NHL level.
On June 22, 2001, it was time to shake things up. The Leafs traded Berezin to the Phoenix Coyotes for Mikael Renberg.
Once a member of the famous “Legion of Doom” line on the mid-1990s Philadelphia Flyers with Eric Lindros and John LeClair, Renberg spent the 2000-01 season with Swedish club Lulea instead of the Coyotes. He wanted to be closer to his family.
A trade to Toronto made sense, since he and fellow Swede Mats Sundin were pals.
Now, this is where the trade tree ends on the Leafs side. Well, sort of. For now. You’ll see.
Renberg played three seasons with the Leafs then returned to Sweden to play another five seasons before ending his career. My personal favourite memory from this time was when Leafs coach Pat Quinn messed up his lineup card and put Renberg, who was injured, on it instead of Robert Reichel.
Now back to the Coyotes side.
Berezin lasted just 41 games with the Coyotes, putting up seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 41 games before getting traded. The Coyotes dealt Berezin to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Brian Savage and a 2002 third-round pick. Phoenix used that pick to select defender Matt Jones 80th overall.
This trade tree remained stagnant for eight years until March 3, 2010 when the Coyotes traded Matt Jones. To who? Why, the Leafs, of course!
Here’s a handy dandy visual aid before we continue.
The Leafs were starting to shed players at the end of one of their many “sort-of rebuild” seasons and Lee Stempniak was one of the names shipped out of town. In exchange, the Coyotes dealt Matt Jones, a 2010 fourth-rounder, and a 2010 seventh-rounder.
Matt Jones’ last recorded games were in the 2008-09 season. Those two picks continued to bounce around a bit though.
At the 2010 NHL Draft, the Leafs traded the fourth-round pick they got from Phoenix (112th overall) to the Washington Capitals for another fourth-rounder (116th overall) and a fifth-rounder (146th overall).
The 2010 fifth-rounder the Leafs got was Daniel Brodin. The 2010 fourth-rounder the Leafs got was Petter Granberg, who the Leafs lost on waivers to the Nashville Predators. The 2010 fourth-rounder the Washington Capitals got was their current backup goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
The Leafs traded the 2010 seventh-rounder they got from Phoenix (202nd overall) to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2011 sixth-rounder (152nd overall). That’s a 50-pick difference. Not bad for the Leafs. The Oilers took Kellen Jones with their pick. Jones never made the NHL, although he still plays for the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Leafs took hulking forward David Broll with their 2011 pick.
Broll was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Carter Ashton for a 2016 conditional pick that the Leafs never ended up getting so their side of the trade tree finally ends there.
After his first full season with the Coyotes, Lee Stempniak was traded to the Calgary Flames for Daymond Langkow. After one season with the ‘Yotes, Langkow retired and now this post can finally end.
The Internet is a fantastic, interactive place where people can share their thoughts and ideas. I want to thank the fine gent who posted the idea to write this in the first place and encourage everyone to suggest other ideas!
