Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 5 General Managers in Franchise History
3. Cliff Fletcher
If there was a Leafs GM who deserved to have his name on a Stanley Cup, it was Fletcher. When he took over in 1991, he made one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NHL history.
On January 2nd, 1991, Fletcher sent Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Jeff Reese, Craig Berube, and Alexander Godynyuk to the Calgary Flames for Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Rick Wamsley and Kent Manderville. It was a trade that drastically changed the landscape of the Leafs, especially after the hiring of Burns as head coach.
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Gilmour would emerge as a star in Toronto, posting a franchise record 127 points and winning the Selke Trophy in 1993. Burns was awarded the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach, and the combination represented the first time a Leafs players or coach won an individual award since 1967.
The team set a record with 44 wins and 99 points in the standings, earning Fletcher the “Man of the Year” and the “Executive of the Year” awards by The Hockey News in 1993. The Leafs made the Conference Finals for two straight years in 1993 and 1994, with both teams regarded as legitimate cup contenders.
While the Gilmour trade was a franchise-altering move, Fletcher was able to pull off another big trade with the Quebec Nordiques on June 28, 1994. He acquired; Mats Sundin, Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner and a 1994 first-round draft pick, in exchange for Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and a 1994 first-round draft pick.
At the time the move a tough one for Leafs fans, with fan favourite Clark going to Québec, although Fletcher would bring him back to the Leafs years later. Sundin would go on to become the Leafs all-time scoring leader and the first European captain in team history.
Fletcher would return to the Leafs in 2008 when JFJ was fired. He was not as successful In his second tenure, but was only seen as a temporary option, until Brian Burke joined the team in 2009. Fletcher remains with the Leafs organization as a senior-adviser and hopefully this will give him a chance to one day have his name on the Cup.
Next: Last GM to win the Stanley Cup with the Leafs