Toronto Maple Leafs Reportedly Turned Down Trade For All Star Norris Trophy Defenseman

Maple Leafs Reportedly Turned Down Trade For Norris Trophy Defenseman Victor Hedman

Can you imagine what the Toronto Maple Leafs could have accomplished with Star defenseman Victor Hedman? Well it looks like ex-GM Brian Burke turned down a trade to land him.

During the 2009 NHL entry draft, Brian Burke was offered a massive trade that could have changed the fate of the Maple Leafs.

The following video footage shows Brian Burke discussing a potential deal with the Lightning for the 2nd overall pick. He started off by talking about how the Vancouver Canucks offered Kevin Bieksa, Alex Burrows, and their first round pick (22nd overall) in exchange for #2 overall. So to up the ante and to see if Tampa Bay was still interested, he called then-general-manager Brian Lawton and asked if a deal was still on the table. The Lightning allegedly wanted Luke Schenn from the Maple Leafs on top of their first rounder - the 7th overall pick they used on Nazem Kadri.



Burke turned down the deal as he was unwilling to part with Schenn, who the Leafs had drafted 5th overall the previous year. Schenn entered the draft with 28 points in 57 WHL games, while Hedman had 22 points in 43 SHL games.

Hedman went on to become an elite NHL defenseman, scoring 147 goals and 676 points in 998 games over 15 seasons. He secured a Norris Trophy in 2017-18, two Stanley Cups with the Lightning, and a Conn Smythe in 2019-20 with 22 points in 25 playoff games.

Meanwhile, Kadri spent 10 seasons with the Leafs, scoring 161 goals and 357 points in 561 games before getting traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Schenn lasted four seasons in Toronto, later traded for James van Riemsdyk. His tenure in Philadelphia fell short of expectations, and he returned to Toronto briefly last season before becoming a free agent.

Hypothetically, having Hedman could have altered the Leafs' fate from 2008-09 to 2015-16, potentially extending Burke's tenure beyond five years.