Report: Blues & Maple Leafs Almost Made Blockbuster Trade
During the 2020 NHL off-season, the St. Louis Blues lost star defenseman and former captain Alex Pietrangelo to the Vegas Golden Knights in free agency. Losing Pietrangelo undoubtedly hurt the Blues' defensive group, as he was their top star and No. 1 defenseman.
However, it turns out that Pietrangelo's Blues tenure almost ended differently a few years before.
In a recent episode of The Sheet, NHL insider Jeff Marek revealed that the Blues almost traded Pietrangelo to the Toronto Maple Leafs for star forward William Nylander.
"It wasn't that long ago that it was pretty close, that he [Nylander] was going to St. Louis, and Alex Pietrangelo was going the other way to the Toronto Maple Leafs," Marek said.
In 2018, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman also reported the Blues and Maple Leafs discussed a Pietrangelo and Nylander trade, but Toronto decided against it.
This would have been a massive trade for both clubs. The Blues would have landed a star forward who they would have built their offense around. The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, would have secured a proper No. 1 defenseman for their right side.
However, in the end, it is fair to say that the Maple Leafs must be happy with their decision to keep Nylander in Toronto. The 28-year-old winger has emerged as a superstar in Toronto and is a significant part of their core. However, the Blues also won the Stanley Cup in 2019, so hanging on to Pietrangelo undoubtedly benefitted them, too.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blues stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How to watch Chelsea vs Manchester United live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
Chelsea's tenuous hold on a Champions League space meets an old rival when lower-half Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge on Friday. The Blues enter Week 37 with 63 points, above sixth-place Aston Villa on goal differential and seventh-place Nottingham Forest by a single point. Advertisement WATCH — Chelsea v Manchester United Enzo Maresca's men control their own destiny with the visit from the Red Devils before a potentially-huge scrap at Forest to close the season. As for Friday's visitors, Manchester United are prepping for the Europa League Final, their only path to the Champions League thanks to a mostly-abysmal Premier League campaign. The 16th-place Red Devils go to London with more than a single eye on their Wednesday UEL Final against Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao. For live updates and highlights throughout Chelsea vs Manchester United, check out PST's live blog coverage below… How to watch Chelsea vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time Kick off time: 3:15pm ET Friday Venue: Stamford Bridge TV Channel: Peacock Streaming: Premier League on Peacock Chelsea team news, focus OUT: Nicolas Jackson (suspension), Jadon Sancho (loan - unable to fce parent club), Christopher Nkunku (undisclosed), Aaron Anselmino (thigh), Wesley Fofana (thigh - out for season), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Omari Kellyman (hamstring - out for season), Marc Guiu (thigh) Manchester United team news, focus OUT: Matthijs de Ligt (knee), Diogo Dalot (calf), Joshua Zirkzee (thigh - MORE), Ayden Heaven (leg - MORE), Lisandro Martinez (torn ACL - MORE), Toby Collyer (leg) | QUESTIONABLE: Leny Yoro (ankle) Chelsea vs Manchester United prediction This, in theory, should look more like a Conference League match than a Premier League match, as the Blues will arrive with urgency while United simply want to be healthy for Spurs and the UEL Final. Of course Amorim will expect fire from the players he selects for this match, but Chelsea's first-choice team — even without suspended Nicolas Jackson — is better than United's first-choice team, let alone its depth. Chelsea 3-1 Man United.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Judge hears closing arguments in ice hockey sexual assault trial
Closing arguments have concluded in the trial of five Canadian ice hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman, with both sides offering competing stories on what had unfolded on the evening of the alleged assault. The accused men, all former players for Canada's world junior hockey team, have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Their fate now rests with a judge. Their lawyers argued that the woman consented to engaging in sexual acts with the players at a hotel room in London, Ontario, in 2018, while attending a hockey gala. The woman testified that she had consensual sex with one player that night, but did not agree to sexual acts with the others who had entered the hotel room. The accused are Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote, Alex Formenton and Carter Hart. All were professional players with the National Hockey League (NHL) when the assault allegations emerged. The woman is known as EM due to a publication ban on her name. She was 20 years old at the time of the incident. She testified that she had met Mr McLeod at a bar in June 2018, where he and other players were celebrating after the gala. In her testimony, she told the court that she had agreed to go to Mr McLeod's hotel room and they had consensual sex. Crown lawyer Meaghan Cunningham argued that the woman was later put in a "highly stressful and unpredictable" situation after Mr McLeod invited other players by text message to the room for a "three-way". She feared for her safety, the lawyer said, and felt pressured to perform sexual acts to protect herself, including having sex with one player and oral sex with three others. Over days of testimony, EM said that she went on "auto-pilot" mode as the men demanded sex acts from her. Ms Cunningham referenced a video shot by Mr McLeod at the end of the night of the woman, where he can be heard asking her "You're OK with this, though, right?" and she responds: "I'm OK with this." She argued that the way the question is framed suggests EM had not agreed to what had just transpired. "I want to ask Your Honour to think carefully about those words and what they tell us about what was happening at that point in time," Ms Cunningham told Justice Maria Carroccia. Defence lawyers told the court a different story, focusing on her credibility and reliability as a witness. They argued it was EM who was the instigator and demanded sex acts from the men in the room. Defence lawyers also argued her actions that night made them believe she was consenting and zeroed in on one part of her testimony, where she said she had adopted a "porn star persona" as a coping mechanism during the incident. They said that the Crown had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the woman did not consent. "This alone warrants an acquittal against all of these defendants," said lawyer Lisa Carnelos, who represented Mr Dubé. The closing arguments mark the end of the month-and-a-half long trial, which featured a declaration of a mistrial early on and the dismissal of the jury mid-way through. The verdict will be decided by Justice Carroccia alone. It is scheduled to be delivered on 24 July. A sex assault scandal disgraces Canada's pastime Mistrial declared in Canadian hockey assault case Four NHL players charged over 2018 sexual assault
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boko is back! Penguins sign Imama & acquired prospect Fernstrom
This article originally appeared on Boko Imama will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, eventually. The team announced on Friday that they signed Imama to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 at the NHL level. Imama split this season between the NHL and AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He played 16 NHL games, scoring one goal and two fights. Advertisement Imama, 28, played 40 games with the WBS Penguins, scoring three goals with five points. The Penguins also signed Melvin Fernstrom. The Penguisn January trade with the Vancouver Canucks yielded the New York Rangers' first-round pick in either 2025 or 2026, but also Swedish prospect Melvin Fernstrom. Fernstrom, 19, split this season with Örebro HK of the Swedish Elite League and Sweden's U20 national team. In 48 games with Örebro HK, he scored eight goals, nine assists, and 17 points, all of which ranked first among league rookies. He was named the 2025 SHL Rookie of the Year. Click here to read more from Advertisement Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
