1996 Trade: Leafs & Rangers Shaped by Dead-Puck Era

0:00It's April 30th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is NHL News Today, AI-powered updates on your squad. On March 13th, 1996, the Toronto Maple Leafs brought back fan favorite window Clark from the New York Islanders. In the deal, Toronto sent Sean Haggerty, Darby Hendrickson, Kenny Johnson, and their 1997 first round draft pick, the other way. Clark, along with Matiu Schneider and DJ Smith, slotted right back into the lease lineup during a tough, dead puck era. Clark lit it up immediately, grabbing 15 points in 13 regular season games and adding four more in the playoffs, though Toronto bowed out. Early to St. Louis, he stuck around for two more seasons, notching 68 points in 112 games before moving on. Schneider chipped in 56 points over 115 games as a steady defenseman. Lease fans love the reunion vibe, but the trades' real juice came downstream. Schneider flipped to New York Rangers, leading to Alexander Carpuff Tessive, who then headlined

1:03a deal for Brian McCabe. That big defenseman became a Toronto cornerstone, piling up 297 points in 523 games over seven years. Meanwhile, the Islander struck gold with that first rounder at 4th overall, Roberto Luongo. He bounced quick, but his trades sparked a chain landing them Kenny Johnson as captain for years, and eventually, Noah Dobson. Johnson racked up 230 points in 388 games before heading to Montreal last season for 2 2025. First round picks in Ford and Meal Heinemann. One deadline swap in the 90s reshaped two franchises. Toronto chased Cups short-term, while New York built a pipeline still paying off today.