It’s hard to believe but one of the biggest blockbusters made by the Toronto Maple Leafs happened six years ago today. On January 31, 2010, Brian Burke shocked a lot of people when he sent Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie.
At the time of the deal, there were absolutely no rumors of the Leafs being interested in the Flames young defenseman. However, with the pieces that the Leafs sent to the Flames and what the Leafs received, it was deemed as a pretty good trade for Toronto.
But how does the trade look six year after? Well, only two players remain in the NHL, oddly enough with the same teams that they were traded to.
Where Are They Now?
Phaneuf was named an assistant captain only nine games into his tenure with the Leafs. After the 2009-10 season ended, he would be named the 18th captain in Maple Leafs history. Of course, this is when people started to sour on him, not thinking he had the leadership qualities to properly lead the team. Things didn’t get any better when he was signed to a seven-year deal with a cap hit of $7 million. It wasn’t until this season when Mike Babcock took some of the pressure off of Phaneuf by giving him less ice time. That doesn’t keep him from being mentioned in trade rumors however.
Aulie was a fourth-round pick of the Flames and was coming off a pretty good World Junior Tournament a year prior when he was paired with Tyler Myers. The pairing earned the nickname “the twin towers” as Aulie stood 6’5″ and Myers 6’7″. However, he spent most his time with the Toronto Marlies, only playing 57 games with the Maple Leafs over the course of two seasons. He was eventually traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Carter Ashton. He played 31 games for the Edmonton Oilers last season. He recently signed a deal with HIFK of the Finnish Liiga.
Sjostrom only one more season with the Leafs after being acquired. He signed a deal with Farjestad of the Swedish Hockey League and retired from hockey after the 2012-13 season.
Stajan has had an up and down tenure with the Flames. He is now one of their reliable two-way players but there was a time he was buried on their fourth line by former coach Brent Sutter. When Bob Hartley came on board, Stajan’s game picked up again.
Hagman played a bit more than a season with the Flames after being acquired. He was later placed on waivers and the Anaheim Ducks, where he would play the remainder of the 2011-12 season. Since leaving the NHL after that season, he has played in the KHL, Finland and Switzerland. He currently plays for Jokerit of the KHL.
After moving on from Toronto, White never stayed in one place too long. In the 2010-11 season alone, he played for three teams: the Flames, the Carolina Hurricanes and the San Jose Sharks. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2011-12 season and spent two seasons there. After that, he spent 10 games before playing for two AHL teams in 2014-15. He remains a free agent, having not yet retired.
Mayers didn’t last long in Calgary either. He signed with San Jose after the season for one year before making his way to Chicago. He would be on the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2013. He currently works for the NHL Network.
So who do you think won the trade?