Brayden Schenn ended up with the New York Islanders at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, but there was a point when he was much closer to wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.
Elliotte Friedman said back in January on the 32 Thoughts Podcast that the Maple Leafs and the St. Louis Blues had worked out a deal for Schenn.
Under that framework, Toronto would have sent Easton Cowan, Ben Danford and a first-round pick to St. Louis for the veteran forward.
The move never happened, and the details have come back into focus as Cowan has caught fire to start the season. He has six goals and 13 points in 14 games with Toronto, while Danford continues to turn heads in the AHL.
The deal that was discussed would have gone down at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, with Toronto positioned to make a push.
Instead, Schenn landed on Long Island one year later. The Islanders got him for a first-round pick (Colorado's), goaltender prospect Marcus Gidlof, Jonathan Drouin and a 2026 third-round pick (New Jersey's).
That return is clearly lighter than the package Toronto would have sent. In effect, the Leafs had been ready to pay something closer to a Brock Nelson-type haul: a top prospect, a first-round pick and more.
Schenn, 35, has fit in well with the Islanders’ offense. He has three goals and eight points through the first 11 games of the season, and he added six goals and 11 points in 19 games after the trade deadline last season.
Beyond the scoring, he has brought leadership too. Schenn is one of the Islanders’ rotating alternate captains for the 2026-27 season.
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What made the overtime stretch especially notable was how involved Schaefer stayed once the game moved past regulation. He drew the tripping penalty early in the five-minute session, then remained on the ice through the delayed-penalty power play and the rest of overtime, a rare level of trust in a young defenseman in a high-leverage spot. For Islanders fans, it was another reminder that Schaefer is already being leaned on in ways that go well beyond the usual rookie experience. [Read more 🡒]