Maple Leafs’ Recent Business With the Blackhawks

Two of the more storied franchises in the NHL today, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks have a long history of on-ice battles. On top of that, the two teams have had their fair share of dealings off the ice when it comes to the trade market.

While the recent moves between these two teams haven’t been earth-shattering by any means, they have included some names that have gone on to help their respective clubs.

Related: Maple Leafs’ Recent Dealings With the Hurricanes

With that, here’s a look at the five most recent trades between the Leafs and Blackhawks.

No Need to Panik

The Leafs last dealt with the Blackhawks back on Jan. 3, 2016 when they shipped forward Richard Panik to Chicago for Jeremy Morin.

Richard Panik, Chicago Blackhawks
Richard Panik really found himself with the Chicago Blackhawks. (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Panik played just 76 games for the Leafs in 2014-15 tallying 11 goals and 17 points. But he became a significant player with the move to Chicago. He dressed for 149 games during the regular season with the Blackhawks, recording 34 goals and 68 points over that span. His best season came in 2016-17 when he reached 22 goals and 44 points in 82 games. Most recently, the Hawks moved the 26-year-old to Arizona after 37 games in the 2017-18 season.

As for Morin, he was quickly shipped to the San Jose Sharks in Feb. 2016 without having played a game for the Leafs. In fact, he hasn’t seen NHL action since 2014-15 and is currently playing in Switzerland.

Yeah, Abbott That

On Feb. 26, 2015, the Leafs acquired defenceman T.J. Brennan in a trade with the Blackhawks, sending winger Spencer Abbott the other way.

Abbott played one game for the Leafs during in 2013-14, but that was it. He also played one game for the Blackhawks, but never stuck at the NHL level. Since the trade, he’s been an AHL regular, but found himself in the Swiss league for the 2017-18 season.

As for Brennan, he played 13 games for the Leafs over two seasons with a goal and an assist to show for it. He’s spent the last two seasons with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate – the Lehigh Valley Phantoms – and has 100 points in 127 games.

Bolland’s Homecoming

Arguably the biggest trade between the two clubs in recent memory would be the Dave Bolland deal that happened on Jun. 30, 2013. In the trade, the Leafs acquired Bolland while the Blackhawks picked up three picks in the deal.

Dave Bolland, Toronto Maple Leafs
Dave Bolland had a short stint with the Leafs before suffering a significant injury. (Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)

Bolland played just 23 games for the Leafs in 2013-14, but suffered a major injury that sidelined him for most of the season. From there, he landed in Florida. While his time in Toronto wasn’t long, he did manage to put up 12 points in those 23 games thanks to a hot start to the season.

As for the picks, the Hawks acquired a 2013 second-round pick, a 2013 fourth-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. They used the 2013 second-rounder to pick take Carl Dahlstrom, who has three points in 11 games for Chicago this season.

They traded the 2013 fourth-rounder to Anaheim, who used it to take goaltender Fredrik Bergvik. While the Hawks kept the 2014 fourth-round pick and took forward Fredrik Olofsson who has spent the last three seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Sounds So Sweatt

Before Bolland, there was Bill Sweatt and Kris Versteeg. The Leafs acquired the duo from the Blackhawks on Jun. 30, 2010, in exchange for Christopher Didomenico, Philippe Paradis and Viktor Stalberg.

Versteeg played 53 games for the Leafs before he was moved to Philadelphia. But over that time, he tallied 14 goals and 35 points for the blue and white. Since then, he’s had stops in Philly, Florida, Carolina, Los Angeles, Chicago (again) and now finds himself as a member of the Calgary Flames. He also won a second Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2014-15 after his brief stint with the Leafs.

Kris Versteeg, Chicago Blackhawks
Versteeg won a Stanley Cup with the Hawks after his stint in Toronto. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Sweatt, on the other hand, didn’t play a game for the Leafs. In fact, he played just three games for the Vancouver Canucks over two seasons. Now, he finds himself in Sweden playing for HV71 Jonkoping.

On the other side of the deal, Didomenico didn’t find the NHL until he was part of the Senators’ organization. This season he has 10 points in 24 games for the Sens. As for Paradis, he still hasn’t cracked an NHL lineup and is playing with Jonquiere Marquis of the Ligue Nord-Americaine de Hockey.

Stalberg was the biggest part of the deal for the Hawks. He played 203 regular season games for Chicago, following the trade and tallied 43 goals and 90 points over that span. But, like the others the Leafs traded to Chicago, he ended up in Switzerland following stints with a few other NHL teams.

Hayes, Hayes, What Do You Say

Finally, the Leafs acquired a 2010 second-round pick from the Hawks back on Jun. 26, 2010, for forward Jimmy Hayes.

Hayes tallied 13 points in 43 games for the Blackhawks spread over three seasons, but didn’t have his breakout season until 2013-14 with the Florida Panthers when he put up 35 points. Still, it hasn’t happened again since then.

As for the pick the Leafs acquired, Brad Ross with the 43rd overall selection. Ross was a minor leaguer with the Leafs playing between the AHL and ECHL, but never cracked the big league lineup. Now, he plays for Heilbronn Falcons of the DEL-2.

While there haven’t been any blockbusters between the two clubs lately, let us know what you think of these minor deals. Were there any clear-cut winners? Share your thoughts by commenting below and be sure to tune in next time to see the most recent trades between the Leafs and Avalanche-Nordiques franchise.