On the morning of Feb 26th, GM Taylor decided it was time to make a move. Minnesota was nipping at Toronto’s heels, and the NYR were clearly stockpiling veteran talent. Right now if a Leafs’ player went down for an extended period, C Dan Daoust was the only player who could step in, and even then really only as a playmaker. LW Ken Berry, a waiver pickup in the offseason, was not talented enough for anything other than spot duty. Taylor contacted the Quebec Nordiques, and set his sights high: C Peter Stastny and LW Michel Goulet. Quebec’s asking price on Goulet was high, likely because he was from QC. Shockingly QUE GM Martin Madden was quite open to moving Stastny, who was in the midst of a solid season (21-38-59 and -15 in 60GP) on a struggling Nordques team. Madden wanted someone younger, but also able to step into Quebec’s line-up this season.
Taylor asked if there was anyone on the farm who Madden was interested in, and he identified RW Sean McKenna. Taylor paused, mostly to make sure he had heard correctly. McKenna was 26, and having a decent season in the minors (22-21-43 and -8 in 55GP AHL). But the Leafs’ scouts felt he was at his peak (which wasn’t good enough to be an NHL regular, at least for Toronto). Taylor waited a BIT longer to make it seem like he was torn, and then took Madden up on the offer. Quebec traded
C Peter Stastny, 32 in exchange RW Sean McKenna, 26. Maple Leafs fans were ecstatic to gain a living legend, and Stastny was eager to play for a contender.
Taylor decided to make ONE more move, although it would mean losing a player who was well liked. Peter Statsny now made Dan Daoust (4-6-10 and +2 in 26GP) redundant, and Taylor wanted a better backup winger than Ken Berry. So he called division rival Ron Caron with an offer: Daoust for Greg Paslawski (8-11-19 and +10 in 53GP), a decent two-way winger. Caron said one-for-one it wasn’t enough; he wanted a prospect and a pick. Taylor took a moment, and reviewed a list of players St. Louis was looking to move. It appeared they had run out of patience with an enforcer on their AHL team named Kelly Chase (12-22-56 and -4 with 246 PIM in 56GP AHL). Taylor took a swing, offering to add Sean LeBrun (18-27-45 and -18 in 54GP AHL) if Caron added Chase, to make it 2-for-2. Caron said he liked the deal, but if he dealing with a division rival, he needed a mid-round pick coming back. After some haggling, they agreed on a 6th round pick, and it became official. St. Louis traded
RW Greg Paslawski, 27 and RW Kelly Chase, 21 in exchange for C Dan Daoust, 28 , LW Sean LeBrun, 19 and Toronto’s 6th round pick in 1990.
Taylor now felt much better about the team’s depth. Adding Konroyd, Stastny and Paslawski meant the Leafs would be in good shape if any injuries impacted their roster during the stretch run. David Volek was put in the press box, with Greg Pawlaski now taking over the 4th line RW spot. Phil Bourque moved over to the left wing, which also meant sending Doug Smail to the press box. And Peter Stastny would be their centre on the 4th line. Taylor explained minutes would be limited for now, but Stastny would be the first person moved to the Top Six in case of injury. Smail was furious, but being professional that he is, he bit his tongue. Volek widely followed Smail’s lead, respecting his linemate and mentor’s lead. Konroyd would remain a healthy scratch for now, and Ken Berry was placed on waivers to make room.
Later that afternoon, Taylor got even more good news: Teemu Selanne was ready to play. Taylor called him immediately and advised they were sending him to the AHL. The Leafs’ top two lines were clicking, and the team had just brought in some veterans for a playoff push. Taylor wanted Selanne to work on his conditioning while getting top-line and PP1 minutes with Newmarket.
Game 64 - 6-4 W v STL
The Leafs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first 6 minutes, chasing Greg Millen from the net (only 1 save on 5 shots). Vincent Riendeau stopped 28 of the next 29 shots, buying time for the Blues to rally with four goals in the 2nd. The momentum shifted in the 3rd: Leafs were able to keep St. Louis from scoring, and Vinny Damphousse getting the insurance ENG with 10 seconds left. Brett Hull (2G) and Cliff Ronning (2A) did their best, but most of the Blues struggled. A balanced Toronto attack saw five players get 2 points. Wregget did well, stopping 31 of 35.
EDM C Jimmy Carson and QUE G Mario Gosselin were POTM
As February drew to a close, Wendel Clark again saw his jersey among top sellers (16th).
February Lookback- In February the Leafs were 8-4-1 with 49 GF and 45 GA, and finished the month on an 8-2-0 run.
- The Leafs are 37-22-5, 3rd overall, with 276 Gf and 248 GA.
- Toronto were 5th in Offense, 10th in Defense, 2nd in Shots For, 7th in Shots Against. Powerplay had improved slightly to 17th, and the Penalty Kill was up to 8th.
Other Highlights:- Five Leafs had already scored 20 goals, and 10 have scored 40+ points
- Dave Reid now had an incredible 13 SHP, while Ron Wilson 11
Other Key Callouts:- Goaltending continues to be the team’s achilles heel; Belfour’s GAA was just below 4.00, and he and Wregget had awful save percentages (.868 and .872 respectively).
