Dave Feschuk: Nick Paul grew up with Sundin’s jersey, Cujo’s mask and a childhood dream. A Maple Leafs trade made it come true - Toronto Star

As a kid growing up in Mississauga’s Lorne Park neighbourhood, Paul is a born-and-bred Maple Leafs loyalist.

New Leafs centre Nick Paul hops the boards during training camp.

Dave Feschuk is a Toronto-based sports columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @dfeschuk

As a Mississauga-born NHL veteran who spent his first decade in the NHL playing for Toronto rivals in Ottawa and Tampa Bay, Nick Paul used to get the question a lot.

“Everyone would ask me, ‘Would you want to play for the Leafs?’” Paul was saying this past week. “And I was always like, ‘No.’ But I was always in denial. Like, I didn’t even want to think about it.”

Denial, indeed. Only those closest to Paul knew the truth. Before this summer, after all, Paul was best known in the GTA as a cold-blooded Maple Leafs killer — the guy who single-handedly eliminated Toronto from the first round of the 2022 playoffs by scoring both Lightning goals in a 2-1 Tampa win in Game 7.

TORONTO - Gavin McKenna sat in the passenger seat ahead of his professional debut.