The Maple Leafs shocked hockey fans the day before free agency began by taking a different route to improving their team.
Rather than signing a big name free agent, they completed a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that saw Kris Versteeg and prospect Bill Sweatt come to Toronto in exchange for Swedish winger Viktor Stalberg (as well as prospects Chris DiDomenico and Philippe Paradis).
Versteeg, who is coming off of a 20 goal season, avoided the sophomore slump that is dreaded by many second-year players.
The Lethbridge, Alberta native has scored 42 goals over the first 170 games of his career, and won a Stanley Cup last season with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Versteeg, 24, now knows what it takes to win the Stanley Cup, meaning that the Maple Leafs have another player coming into their dressing room who should be a good influence on the younger players, including Nazem Kadri.
The Maple Leafs did not stop making attempts to improve their roster after trading for Versteeg, as they continue to build their team for the 2010-2011 campaign.
After trading for Versteeg and keeping Tomas Kaberle, they w ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Lukas
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