The Toronto Maple Leafs have experienced a mixture of successes and heartbreaks since Auston Matthews joined in 2016. The team has seen elite players depart through trades and free agency, with some losses appearing more regrettable over time. The recent departure of Mitch Marner has spurred discussions about reuniting with former players. Among notable losses, Carter Verhaeghe, traded for Michael Grabner, has since thrived in the NHL, contrasting with Grabner's forgettable tenure in Toronto. Evaluating these player losses is timely amid ongoing roster adjustments.
Carter Verhaeghe was picked in the third round, 82nd overall, by the Maple Leafs during the 2013 NHL entry draft. He didn't play a game with the Leafs before being included as a throw-in as part of a five-for-one trade to acquire speedster Michael Grabner from the New York Islanders. Grabner played one forgettable season in Toronto, scoring nine goals in 80 games.
After the Islanders traded Verhaeghe to the Tampa Bay Lightning, he made his NHL debut in 2019-2020. Verhaeghe parlayed that season in Tampa Bay into a free-agent contract with the Florida Panthers. He has since signed two subsequent deals to extend his stay with the Panthers, the latest a maximum eight-year contract that runs to 2033.
The loss of long-time key player Mitch Marner has ignited discussion of a reunion with a player the Maple Leafs once had in their stable. Letting that player go was one of Toronto's lamentable decisions over the past decade.
As the quest to replace Marner plods along, it's a good time to look back at the most regrettable player losses of the Matthews era - moves that Leafs fans still question, and in some cases, wish could be undone.
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