On this day in 2010, the Calgary Flames traded defencemen Dion Phaneuf and Keith Aulie, and forward Fredrik Sjostrom to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers, and defenceman Ian White.
The Flames had been struggling throughout the first half of the 2009-2010 season. The club saw a lot of inconsistency, which meant Flames general manager Darryl Sutter believed the organization needed to shake things up, resulting in the big trade with the Maple Leafs.
Ironically, Sutter denied that Phaneuf was on the trading block weeks before, making it rather shocking news for the 24-year-old.
“It’s definitely a shock,” Phaneuf told the Calgary Herald‘s Scott Cruickshank. “But I’m very, very excited about going to Toronto and being a Maple Leaf… The toughest part is saying goodbye to your buddies and the relationships that you’ve made.”
Phaneuf played with the Flames from 2005-06 after becoming the ninth overall selection in the 2003 NHL Draft. He recorded 45 goals and 196 points across 423 games with the Flames.
However, the Flames didn’t just give up one of their best defencemen; they also sent away another defenceman and a forward in the deal.
Aulie was a reliable American Hockey League player following his rookie season with the Abbotsford Heat; he was still young and new to the league following being drafted 116th overall in the 2007 NHL Draft.
Sjostrom became a penalty-killing specialist after six years of NHL experience but only recorded one goal and six points in his short 46-game stint with the Flames.
The return the Flames received was not as exciting as Phaneuf.
Stajan had just come off a 55 point year with the Maple Leafs when he joined the Flames and recorded another 16 points to make 57 points throughout the 2009-10 campaign. His first full season with the club wasn’t bad. He recorded six goals and 33 points and quickly became a fan favourite and established a role as a glue guy for the Flames during his time. Stajan had another 33-point season in 2013-14, but his performance slowly burned out the following years. He officially announced his retirement in 2019 after a stint in Europe following his final season with the Flames in 2017-18.
Hagman was also coming off a good year with the Maple Leafs and would finish his fourth consecutive 20-plus-point season with the Flames. However, his performance in the 2010-11 season didn’t match what he had contributed the year before, recording 11 goals and 27 points. Hagman played eight games in 2011-12 before being placed on waivers where the Anaheim Ducks claimed him.
Although fans loved his starfish-like dives in front of the net and pristine mustache, White only played 43 games for the Flames, split between the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns. He recorded six goals and 18 points as a Flame before he and teammate Brett Sutter (Darryl’s son) were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Mayers, like Hagman, also had a short stint with the Flames following the trade. He played the remaining 27 games of the 2009-10 campaign, recording one goal and six points before signing as a free agent with the San Jose Sharks the following summer.
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