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REPORT: Brayden Schenn Nixed Trade To Leafs Before Trade To Islanders
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- REPORT: Brayden Schenn Nixed Trade To Leafs Before Trade To Islanders
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The New York Islanders acquired forward and then-captain of the St. Louis Blues , Brayden Schenn, at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
However, the Islanders almost never got the chance to land the veteran forward.
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Elliotte Friedman revealed back in January on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Blues reached a deal for Schenn .
The Leafs would've sent their-then top-two prospects, Easton Cowan & Ben Danford, along with a first-round pick in exchange for Schenn.
The story recirculated social media in the last 24 hours, as Easton Cowan has lit the NHL: aflame with six goals and 13 points in 14 games to start the season with Toronto.
Danford, meanwhile, continues to impress in the AHL
The trade the Leafs and Blues discussed would've gone done at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, with Toronto then in place to contend.
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One year later, the Islanders acquired Schenn in exchange for a first-round pick (Colorado's), goaltender prospect Marcus Gidlof, Jonathan Drouin, and a 2026 third-round pick (New Jersey's).
The Blues bought out Drouin over the summer.
That package is significantly lighter than what the Leafs would've sent. The Leafs essentially sent a Brock Nelson-level package. A top prospect, first-round pick, and more.
Schenn, 35, has posted three goals and eight points through the season's first 11 games.
In 19 games after the trade deadline last season, Schenn notched six goals and 11 points.
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Schenn has been a great add for the team's offense, producing at a solid top-six rate, while also serving as a leader. He is one of the Islanders' rotating alternate captains for the 2026-27 season.
That he then waived his no-trade clause for the Islanders after refusing to for the Maple Leafs?
It says a lot about the Islanders as an organization, a true destination, thanks to Matthew Schaefer.
