Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin (38) looks for a rebound as Washington Capitals defenceman Erik Gustafsson (56) tries to clear the puck in front of goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) during second period NHL action in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals for fellow defenceman Erik Gustafsson and a first-round pick at the 2023 NHL draft on Tuesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to wheel and deal ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
The club re-acquired Luke Schenn – nearly 15 years after selecting him fifth overall at the 2008 draft – on the heels of two other Tuesday deals that saw Toronto send fellow defenceman Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals and forward Pierre Engvall to the New York Islanders.
The swap for Schenn, a pending unrestricted free agent set to add further depth to an organization determined to end its ugly run of playoff failures, included the Leafs sending the Vancouver Canucks for a third-round pick in June.
The 33-year-old has three goals and 21 points in 2022-23. In 918 career regular-season games with Toronto, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Arizona, Anaheim, Tampa and Vancouver, Schenn has put up 41 goals and 190 points.
A Stanley Cup champion with Tampa in 2020 and 2021, the Saskatoon native has added three goals and three assist in 31 post-season games.
The Leafs traded Schenn to Philadelphia for James van Riemsdyk in 2012 after four seasons in Toronto.
The flurry of afternoon activity with the trade deadline set for Friday started with Toronto shipping Sandin to Washington for blue-liner Erik Gustafsson and a 2023 first-rounder.
The Leafs then dealt Engvall to New York for a third-round selection in 2024.
Taken with the 29th pick in 2018, Sandin has four goals and 20 points in 52 games this season. The 22-year-old registered 10 goals and 48 points in 140 regular-season appearances with the Leafs. He scored once in five playoff contests.
Gustafsson has seven goals and 38 points in 61 games in 2022-23. In 370 career games with Chicago, Calgary, Philadelphia, Montreal and Washington, the 30-year-old has put up 39 goals and 187 points. He’s added eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 31 playoff contests.
The pick coming to the Leafs in Tuesday’s deal with Washington was originally acquired from Boston in last week’s trade where the Bruins got defenceman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals.
Engvall has 12 goals and 21 points in 58 games this season. A seventh-round pick in 2014, the 26-year-old had 42 goals and 83 points in 226 games with Toronto. He added four assists in 17 post-season appearances.
Schenn and Gustafsson join a roster that’s been significantly reworked by general manager Kyle Dubas in recent weeks as the Leafs look to advance in the post-season for the first time since 2004.
Toronto acquired centres Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from St. Louis on Feb. 17 and added defenceman Jake McCabe and forward Sam Lafferty from Chicago on Monday before Tuesday’s deluge.
Dubas has shed a number of high draft picks in recent years – including the deals with St. Louis and Chicago – but got one back in the swap for Gustafsson, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in July after earning US$800,000 in 2022-23.
Sandin is on the books for another season with a salary cap hit of $1.4 million before potentially hitting restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.
Engvall, who’s making $2.25 million this season, is slated to become a UFA in July.
Schenn, meanwhile, is earning $850,000 in 2022-23.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2023.
