The blockbuster Canadiens-Maple Leafs trade that nearly included Arber Xhekaj

Arber Xhekaj almost put on a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Two seasons later, that near-miss stings a little more.

A source told the Montreal Gazette's Herb Zurkowsky on Thursday that Toronto looked hard at Xhekaj and Sean Monahan two years ago.

But the Maple Leafs have gone through a real management change since then. Jim Hiller took over as Toronto's head coach on June 17.

He's inheriting a mess. Toronto finished 32-36-14 this season, 78 points and 28th overall, closing the year on a seven-game losing streak with a goal differential of minus-46.

The head-to-head numbers against Montreal make the missed swing sting worse. Toronto won the opener 5-2, then lost three straight to a Martin St-Louis team that finished with 106 points.

Xhekaj is still just 25. He's played 65 games this season for Montreal, putting up 4 points with a minus-8 rating, and the counting stats alone won't blow anyone away.

His last 10 games look about the same, just 1 goal and 1 point. This isn't a hidden superstar Toronto let slip away.

Sean Monahan is quietly producing for the Blue Jackets

But a physical, cost-controlled defenseman on a $1,300,000 cap hit is still the kind of depth piece contenders hoard, especially with Kent Hughes running Montreal's back end.

Monahan found his footing in Columbus. He put up 36 points in 78 games this season, including 3 game-winning goals and 9 power-play assists.

The Blue Jackets finished 40-30-12 under Rick Bowness and GM Don Waddell, good for 92 points and 18th in the league. Monahan carries a $5,500,000 cap hit.

Whether either player changes Toronto's outcome this year is impossible to know. But a franchise that finishes 28th overall and admits it looked elsewhere two seasons ago invites the question anyway.

Hiller now has to figure out what this Toronto roster actually needs on the back end and up front. Whether ownership goes shopping again this summer is the next thing worth watching.