Call it the Curse of Stajan?
In the nine months since the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisted the Stanley Cup, Brian Burke has shipped out 12 Toronto Maple Leafs. That's over half the Leafs roster in a single season.
Incredibly, just two of those 12 former-Leafs are on teams that are heading to the post-season:
1. Jason Blake, Anaheim
2. Joey MacDonald, Anaheim
3. Pavel Kubina, Atlanta
4. Anton Stralman, Columbus
5. Jiri Tlusty, Carolina
6. Matt Stajan, Calgary
7. Niklas Hagman, Calgary
8. Jamal Mayers, Calgary
9. Ian White, Calgary
10. Vesa Toskala, Calgary
11. Lee Stempniak, Phoenix
12. Alexi Ponikarovsky, Pittsburgh
I wonder how many of these guys thought a ticket out of Toronto meant a taste of the playoffs?
It would be interesting to follow this up in the summer with statistics showing their production pre and post trade! Damn Stempniak.... :-)
ReplyDeleteIf memory serves, wasn't Calgary in a playoff spot at the time the Phaneuf trade was made? Doesn't look like they'll make it.
ReplyDeleteI'd call it the Curse of Toskala. No team with that guy on their team will ever succeed. Did JFJ pull a body-snatcher move on Sutter or has Sutter just lost his mind?