Last season, this saw move the Leafs send Travis Dermott and Kasperi Kapanen down to the Toronto Marlies on trade deadline day in a paper transaction to ensure their eligibility for the American Hockey League Playoffs.
Those transactions proved to be monumental.
While Kapanen eventually opted to join Team Finland for the World Hockey Championship instead of returning to the team he began the year with, Dermott’s arrival effectively saved the Marlies season and culminated in the Marlies’ first Calder Cup in franchise history.
This season, however, circumstances are different. No one was sent down prior to the deadline, with Trevor Moore getting the call instead to take the place of the recently-traded Par Lindholm and suit for the Leafs’ in their contest that night against divisional rival Buffalo.