Six of the seven former players who have ties to the Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Final are on the Edmonton Oilers.
Six of the seven former players who have ties to the Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Final are on the Edmonton Oilers.
As the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals kick off this Saturday, June 8, I thought it would be interesting to revisit the previous list of 10 former Toronto Maple Leafs still playing – now down to seven total competing for Lord Stanley.
Before we dive into a deeper look, I will once again clarify that the list includes any player who played anywhere within the branch of the Toronto organization – affiliate teams included. Of the seven remaining, six are on the Edmonton Oilers, and that is the side where we first delve into their tenures in the blue and white.
1. Zach Hyman - #18 Edmonton Oilers
Although Hyman was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the fifth round (123rd overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Hyman never suited up for the team. Instead, Hyman’s rights were shipped to Toronto on June 19, 2015 – where he would spend seven seasons with the organization. To be more specific, Hyman played his first season under Toronto (2015-16) with the AHL affiliate, Toronto Marlies. He played in a combined 74 total games between the regular season and playoffs scoring 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points.
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Hyman made the jump to the NHL with the Maple Leafs the following season, playing with his hometown team for six seasons (2015-21). In 377 total games split between regular and postseason action, Hyman scored 91 goals, and 107 assists for 198 points. His stellar play as a known ‘workhorse’ earned him a $38.5 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) over seven years as an unrestricted free agent with the Edmonton Oilers on July 28, 2021 – now known league-wide as one of the best contracts in the NHL.
2. Sam Carrick - #39 Edmonton Oilers
As a Markham, Ontario, native, Carrick was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs – his hometown team. The Leafs selected him in the fifth round (144th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Carrick spent parts of four seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies (2012-2016), playing in 228 total games earning himself 47 goals, and 70 assists for 117 points.
Carrick would play for the Maple Leafs in a total of 19 games split between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons – scoring one goal and an assist as his first NHL points. The Oilers acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks on March 6, 2024.
3. Connor Brown - #28 Edmonton Oilers
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Brown was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the sixth round (156th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Brown played with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies for two seasons (2014-15, 2015-16) in 130 total games scoring 40 goals, and 63 assists for 103 points.
After playing in seven games in the NHL with the Maple Leafs throughout the 2015-16 season scoring a goal and tacking on six assists, Brown would play in every game for the Leafs for the next three seasons. Overall, he was with the Leafs from 2015-19 playing in 273 games scoring 44 goals and 60 assists for a 104-point total – perhaps most known for his goal to send the Leafs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2017.
Brown signed with the Oilers on a one-year contract with an annual average value (AAV) of $4M on July 1, 2023.
4. Cody Ceci - #5 Edmonton Oilers
After spending six seasons in Ottawa, Ceci was traded by the Senators, along with Ben Harpur, Aaron Luchuk and a 2020 third-round draft pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, 2019, before signing a one-year $4.5 million contract extension to remain in Toronto on July 4, 2019.
In his lone season in Toronto, Ceci played in 61 total games, scoring two goals and seven assists for nine points. Most notably, Ceci scored a shorthanded goal in the Game 3 ‘Qualifier Series’ against the Columbus Blue Jackets, putting them in front 1-0 in the first period. On July 28, 2021, Ceci signed as a free agent to a four-year, $13 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
5. Jack Campbell - #36 Edmonton Oilers
Though he is not one of the two goalies who has appeared for the Oilers in the postseason, Campbell still makes this list. Campbell, who was 28 at the time, was traded to the Maple Leafs alongside Kyle Clifford back on February 5, 2020.
Campbell would go on to spend three seasons with the Maple Leafs in the NHL (2019-22), earning an overall record of 51-14-9 in 77 games with a 2.50 goals against average and a .916 save percentage – earning the nickname “Soup” or “Soupy” as he ascended to become a fan favorite. Campbell signed a 5 year, $25 million contract with the Edmonton Oilers and an average annual salary of $5 million on July 23, 2022.
6. Calvin Pickard - #30 Edmonton Oilers
Pickard spent one season in the Maple Leafs organization, mostly with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. With the Marlies, Pickard played in 33 games recording a 2.31 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and a record of 21-9-1. He would play in a single game for the Maple Leafs in the NHL with a 3.83 goals against average and a .857 save percentage – against the team that drafted him, the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-3 overtime loss.
As a high-quality AHLer, Pickard was a reliable third option for the Oilers in net, turning quickly into the second and even first option in the postseason. He originally signed a two-year deal with the Oilers in 2022, earning him an average annual salary of $762,500.
7. Carter Verhaeghe - #23 Florida Panthers
Another Toronto, Ontario, native, Verhaeghe was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the third round (82nd overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He never played for the Leafs in the NHL and only played in two games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies – recording his first AHL assist.
On October 9, 2020, Verhaeghe signed with the Florida Panthers on a two-year contract before signing a three-year, $12.5 million extension with the Panthers on July 31, 2021.
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