Feb. 11, 2012 was a bittersweet night time for Toronto Maple Leafs followers. Mats Sundin, the fashionable and consummate captain, was honoured together with his #13 raised to the rafters. A well-recognized face in Tomas Kaberle took the ceremonial faceoff. The Maple Leafs squad was horribly overmatched on the night time, shedding 5-0 to the Montreal Canadiens.
Various Maple Leafs had poor nights, and the loss solely served to intensify hypothesis that trades could possibly be made on the deadline to bolster the group’s playoff probabilities. However with Sundin and Kaberle (and different former Maple Leafs) within the constructing, the minds of some followers turned again to February 2008 and the legacy of The Muskoka 5.
Issues have been totally different then. As a lot as followers wished playoff hockey, a rising quantity noticed an ageing squad with little younger expertise within the group. On the Feb. 26, 2008 commerce deadline, the group was 27-28-9 and a few felt trades might web some good, younger gamers to start a rebuild. It was to not be.
The Maple Leafs made solely three offers… Hal Gill, Wade Belak and Chad Kilger traded for 3 draft picks in 2008 (rounds two, three and 5) and a fifth spherical 2009 choose. The group went 9-7-2 to shut the season, lacking the playoffs once more. The main target fell onto 5 gamers who had no-trade clauses, given by former basic supervisor John Ferguson Jr., and had refused to waive them.
These gamers have been regarded as the Maple Leafs’ most beneficial commodities – buying and selling one or all might probably restock Toronto for the long run. Sundin, Kaberle, Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe and Pavel Kubina. That they had come to be referred to as The Muskoka 5.
The District Municipality of Muskoka is a widely known as cottage nation, just a few hours north of Toronto. Huntsville and Gravenhurst are solely two of the cities surrounded by innumerable lakes and waterways, forests and rocky shorelines.
The moniker ‘Muskoka 5’ implied that veteran gamers in Toronto have been too snug, content material to play out the season and spend summers by the lake. Nobody might determine why anybody would go up an opportunity to be enjoying for the Stanley Cup to stay across the Maple Leafs.
LeafsNation holds Sundin within the highest regard. There isn’t any lingering feeling that refusing a commerce was disloyal. Sundin, in addition to the opposite 4 veterans, had negotiated their offers in good religion, and have been certainly not obligated to just accept a commerce, regardless of how the group rationalized the request. But, taking a look at how these gamers ultimately left Toronto, one wonders what could have been.
Darcy Tucker
Darcy Tucker had seen his manufacturing drop from 28 targets and 61 factors in 2005-06 to 18 targets and 34 factors for 2007-08. Nonetheless, his grit and expertise might have proved priceless to a playoff group.
He was purchased out throughout Cliff Fletcher’s tenure as interim GM, and signed as a free agent with Colorado on July 1, 2008. After two seasons in Colorado, he retired. The Maple Leafs handled a $1 million cap hit from the buyout till the tip of 2013-14.
Bryan McCabe
McCabe had been an offensive drive, scoring 19 targets and 68 factors in 2005-06, which netted him a five-year, $28.75 million deal. However, within the post-lockout NHL, McCabe had misplaced his bodily effectiveness, and had issue adapting to the brand new obstruction guidelines.
He posted 57 factors in 2006-07, however in 54 video games in 2007-08, he scored simply 5 targets and 23 factors with 81 penalty minutes.
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On Sept. 1, 2008, Toronto paid McCabe a contractually-obligated $2 million bonus. On Sept. 2, he waived his no-movement clause and was traded to the Florida Panthers, together with a fourth spherical choose (Sam Brittain) in change for Mike Van Ryn. Unlucky for the Maple Leafs, Van Ryn performed solely 27 video games earlier than retiring because of harm and surgical procedure.
Mats Sundin
The Maple Leafs determined Sundin wouldn’t be of their plans going ahead, and supplied the Canadiens and New York Rangers the possibility to accumulate him earlier than the commerce deadline. Sundin made it clear he believed the Maple Leafs would make the playoffs, and wouldn’t settle for a commerce.
He turned a free agent, and turned down a $20 million supply from the Vancouver Canucks as he contemplated retirement. He ultimately signed with Vancouver on Dec. 18, 2008, and retired following the 2008-09 season.
Pavel Kubina
Pavel Kubina Signed as a free agent in 2006 for 4 years and $20 million – some felt an excessive amount of for his 40 level contributions. Kubina, a powerplay specialist, was misused in Toronto, caught behind the primary powerplay pair of Kaberle and McCabe.
Brian Burke ultimately traded him to clear cap area, sending the defender to the Atlanta Thrashers with Tim Stapleton for Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart on July 1, 2009. Exelby and Stuart weren’t components with the Maple Leafs, although Burke used the cap room partially to signal Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin. Kubina went on to play for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tomas Kaberle
The Kaberle saga performed out over just a few years in Toronto. Lastly, on Feb. 18, 2011, Burke and Peter Chiarelli made a deal sending him to the Boston Bruins in return for Joe Colborne, a first-round choose in 2011, and second-round alternative in 2012.
It was precisely the form of deadline deal hoped for again in 2008. Toronto received a giant centre who could lack a imply, bodily presence, however has proven first rate offense. Burke was in a position to package deal Boston’s first-round choose and his personal second to maneuver up, selectng Tyler Biggs, one other massive ahead who, it was hoped, would assist resolve a few of Toronto’s ‘dimension up entrance’ points. Boston’s second-round choose was despatched to Colorado for Kaberle’s substitute in John-Michael Liles. Kaberle received a Stanley Cup with Boston, signed a free agent contract with Carolina and was traded to Montreal.
It’s pure hypothesis as to what the Maple Leafs may need obtained if all 5 of those gamers have been traded on the deadline in 2008. There weren’t many blockbuster offers that season, although some have been vital. San Jose acquired Brian Campbell and a seventh-round choose from the Buffalo Sabres for Steve Bernier and a first-round choose.
The Pittsburgh Penguins despatched Colby Armstrong, Erik Christiansen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-round choose to Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. Colorado re-acquired Adam Foote in return for sending a primary and fourth to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
May the Maple Leafs have obtained comparable returns for trades involving Tucker, McCabe, Sundin, Kubina and Kaberle? Fairly presumably. It’s not so simple as saying if the participant had waived his no-trade, the Maple Leafs would have made offers. True, Tucker and Sundin have been nearing retirement, and McCabe appeared on the decline.
But, as veterans with playoff expertise, any certainly one of them might have performed a job for a group hoping to win the Stanley Cup. Maybe no offers have been supplied as a result of it was broadly identified the gamers wouldn’t make themselves obtainable. Nonetheless, it’s cheap to suppose a package deal of two gamers might have introduced a prospect and a excessive draft choose, or that Sundin could have been price a top-nine ahead and a first-round choose.
Had Fletcher had the flexibility to make offers, the Maple Leafs could have been that a lot nearer to constructing a playoff group. Curiously sufficient, two of Burke’s main transactions noticed the Maple Leafs purchase two gamers from the 2008 first spherical in Colborne (BOS – sixteenth) and Jake Gardiner (ANA – seventeenth).
Within the grand scheme, no quantity of speculating will change the occasions of the 2008 commerce deadline. Maple Leafs followers are long gone holding grudges towards these gamers. Nonetheless, some surprise what might have been if issues had gone somewhat otherwise within the late winter of 2008.