It’s been 11 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs had a major shakeup in their organization. On June 23, 2012, they traded their young blueliner Luke Schenn to the Philadelphia Flyers for their young up-and-coming forward James Van Riemsdyk. This deal ended Schenn’s misery in Toronto and gave him a fresh start with the Flyers. As for van Riemsdyk, no one could have guessed the impact he would have on the Maple Leafs.
Schenn Heads to Philadelphia
Schenn’s time with the Maple Leafs came with the pressure of playing in a market as big as Toronto and without the proper time needed to develop. He was drafted by the organization with the fifth overall pick of the 2008 NHL Draft. As a prospect, Schenn was expected to become the missing piece that the Maple Leafs needed—a big-bodied defenceman who could produce 30–40 points, hit, and fight. However, he just wasn’t ready when Toronto threw him into NHL action in 2008–09.
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He played with the Maple Leafs for four seasons, appearing in 310 of 328 games, scoring 14 goals and 61 assists with 898 hits. That’s not bad for a player who is more defensively inclined. Schenn, unfortunately, paid the price for not having enough time to mature before he played NHL games, and it led to this trade.
Schenn played four seasons for the Flyers, with 42 points in 213 games. He also played for the Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vancouver Canucks before returning to the Maple Leafs at the 2023 NHL trade deadline. But, last season, he played a large role in helping the Maple Leafs win their first playoff series since 2004. Schenn signed a three-year deal with the Nashville Predators this past offseason.
JVR Finds a Home in Canada
After three seasons with the Flyers, van Riemsdyk came to the Maple Leafs as a 23-year-old, scoring 99 points in 196 games. He was drafted second overall in the 2007 NHL Draft, so trading him for another top-five pick made sense, especially since both players addressed needs in the other organization. His chemistry with Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak was special from the start, and they would make up the Maple Leafs’ top line from 2012-2015.
van Riemsdyk scored a career-high 62 points in 2016-17, the same season that Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander broke onto the screen. During his time with the Maple Leafs, he was a top-line player for six seasons, scoring 154 goals and 140 assists. He also helped lead the team to the playoffs in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Toronto again made the postseason in 2017 and 2018 – in 20 playoff games with the club, he scored seven goals and seven assists.
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Unfortunately, due to the changing core in Toronto, van Riemsdyk wasn’t offered a contract in the 2018 offseason. When free agency opened, he signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the Flyers. Many members of Leafs Nation were sad to see him leave. However, during his second stint with the Flyers, he didn’t do as well; his best season was his first year in 2018-19 when he scored 48 points before his point totals steadily declined. His contract expired this summer, and he agreed to terms with the Boston Bruins on a one-year, $1 million contract.
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Fans seldom see top-five picks traded, particularly with the Maple Leafs. There have been similar trades in history, but not in the last decade, and the fact that both Schenn and van Riemsdyk returned to the team that first traded them makes this deal stand out.
The Maple Leafs won this trade. Unfortunately, Schenn had a lot of struggles after leaving Toronto; he has since found a role as a defensive defenseman in the NHL. Still, Toronto benefitted the most from the deal from the time of the trade until van Riemsdyk left the Maple Leafs in 2018.
