Brendan Shanahan Blocked a Trade That Could Have Changed the Maple Leafs Forever

Back during last year's trade deadline, every general manager was scrambling to find ways to make their team better. In Kyle Dubas' eyes, that was going to be making a massive splash by acquiring Brandon Hagel and Marc-Andre Fleury.

The trade never came to be, with Hagel getting traded to Tampa Bay and Fleury to Minnesota. But it turns out, Shanahan may be the blame for this massive deal never coming to fruition.

If true, this could be an indicator of Shanahan's trust level in Dubas. Vetoing trades at the deadline which would clearly make your team better is a big deal and means that Shanahan probably didn't like the risk involved.

Another factor in this massive deal was the inclusion of Matthew Knies, who has since signed with Toronto and already made an impact. The Leafs coveted Knies as their top prospect and were clearly hesitant about his inclusion in this deal.

Whether or not the Leafs would've been better off today had they made this trade is up for speculation, but one thing is certain. It gives us a much better look into the relationship Shanahan and Dubas had.

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