A blockbuster deal between the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs almost came to be in 2013 — a deal that would’ve seen Roberto Luongo in a Leafs jersey.
The deal was revealed by former Leafs GM Brian Burke, who in a Twitter Q&A Thursday, said Vancouver’s ask was way too high.
The price was clearly high. Gardiner was just 23 at the time and the best hockey of his career came in the following years and it was much of the same for a 22-year-old Kadri. Nazem hadn’t much NHL experience yet, but his ability was clearly there.
In hindsight, Toronto’s 2013 first-round pick was Frederik Gauthier while William Nylander came in the first round of 2014.
Vancouver at the time had a bit of a goaltending conundrum with Cory Schneider taking the reins from Luongo in 2012-13 and the Canucks ended up moving Schnieder that year at the draft for New Jersey’s first-round pick (with whom the Canucks used to take Bo Horvat).
Mike Gillis’ ask was clearly high, and the trade would’ve undoubtedly favoured the Canucks should it have ever gone through.
Vancouver ended up moving on from Luongo not long after that deal fell through, as on March 4, 2014, he was traded to the Florida Panthers for Jacob Markstrom and Shawn Matthias.
