Anson Carter reveals why the Maple Leafs refused to sign him for years

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Alexander Cole
December 12, 2024 (1:48 PM)

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Former NHL star Anson Carter had a successful NHL career, however, he never got to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was always a huge dream of his.

Anson Carter played 10 years in the NHL and during that time, he got to play with teams such as the Edmonton Oilers, the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals, and even the Vancouver Cancucks.

However, as a Toronto-native, the one team that Anson Carter always wanted to play for was the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Unfortunately, throughout his career, he was never able to live out that dream, however, it wasn't due to a lack of trying.

In an interview with "Leafs Morning Take," Carter spoke about his times as a free agent and how he always wanted the Leafs to take him.

That said, at the time, the Maple Leafs had an internal policy against drafting or signing players from Toronto.

Anson Carter gets brutally honest about Toronto

"I tried to get to Toronto several times and one time when I came close, I believe John Ferguson Junior was the GM. I tried pretty hard to come to Toronto. I think they ended up signing the 'Big E' (Eric Lindros) instead," Carter explained. "For years the Maple Leafs did not want to have local guys playing for Toronto. I think there was that internal fear that if there was any success from a local kid that played for the Leafs, they would become bigger than the team. That's why I commend a guy like Mitch Marner who grew up being a Leaf fan and he's playing for the Leafs. He's playing well there... I wish I had a chance to play there - a guy growing up in Scarborough, would have been a dream come true."

This is a very outdated way of thinking, and of course, the team no longer operates like that.

Instead, the team has always made sure to give guys from Toronto a shot, and you see that with the likes of Mitch Marner.

As for Carter, he had a successful career in which he played 674 games and recorded a grand total of 421 points.

While it is unfortunate he never suited up for the Maple Leafs, we're sure he has fun talking about the team on TV, as he is now a beloved broadcaster with TNT.

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DECEMBRE 12 \| 132 ANSWERS Anson Carter reveals why the Maple Leafs refused to sign him for years Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs should have signed Anson Carter at the time?
YES	36	27.3 %
NO	96	72.7 %
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