Toronto Maple Leafs' Worst Trade Of The Past Year

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the busier teams over the past year that has encompassed the many offseason and trade deadline moves they made in an attempt to get out of the first round this season. There haven't been very many bad trades at all, but one stands out as the worst.

The worst trade the team has made was in the offseason that saw the Maple Leafs acquire Matt Murray, a 2023 third round pick, and a 2024 seventh round pick for future considerations. If you're wondering why free assets would make this trade the worst of the past year, it's because of Murray's health and contract.

The Maple Leafs have figured out who their starter is, and it's not Murray. It's Ilya Samsonov who is signed for much cheaper and is in need of a contract in the offseason. It would be a huge mistake to let him walk. Murray has a modified no-trade clause, and even though the Maple Leafs got 25 percent of his contract retained by Ottawa, they are still on the hook for $4.687 million for next season.

If Murray was in the final year of his deal this season, the trade would not have been too bad considering the team was going into the year with two unknown reclamation projects. Now the better goalie has stepped up and assumed the starting role without a doubt and the Maple Leafs would have loved to use the money they are paying Murray next season to re-sign Samsonov long-term.

As a runner-up, keep an eye on the trade that sent Rasmus Sandin to the Washington Capitals as even though they got a first round pick, it's Boston's, which could be 32nd overall. Sandin has already popped off in Washington with playing time while Erik Gustafsson, the defenceman the Maple Leafs got back in the trade, has struggled to even get games in and is a free agent at the end of the season.