Toronto Maple Leafs and Canadiens make for unlikely trade partners

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring Tomas Plekanec from the Montreal Canadiens is only the sixth time in 30 years the original six rivals have made a trade.

The NHL trade deadline can make teams do some pretty crazy things if they think they can improve for a potential run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, or get a lot of value for a particular player. Including making trades with arch rivals, just as the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs did on Sunday.

With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching on Monday at 3:00 p.m. ET, the New York Rangers made their first ever trade with the New Jersey Devils. This was followed by the Leafs making a rare trade with the Montreal Canadiens; in fact this is only the sixth trade in 30 years between both teams.

The Leafs acquired Tomas Plekanec and Kyle Baun from the Canadiens, in exchange for Rinat Valiev, Kerby Rychel and a second-round pick in 2018. As part of the trade Montreal, will also retain 50 percent of Plekanec’s salary.

Any trade that involves the Leafs or Canadiens will garner a lot of buzz and discussion in the hockey world, but it’s always a shock given the storied history between both teams.

When trades occur between rival NHL teams, fans always try to see who got the best of the other.

Since trades between Montreal and Toronto don’t come very often, let’s take a look back at the other five trades that have been made since 1988 and the impact they had on both teams.