For hockey fans, the trade deadline is one of the most exciting periods of the entire NHL season. This is the time where dreams of playoff runs are either fueled or put on ice until next year. Die-hard fans spend their time following up every NHL trade rumor hoping to get some sort of indication of their team’s future.
With the playoffs on the horizon, a well-placed trade for a key player can shift the dynamics of the entire team. Trade season is an exciting time for fantasy draft players, who can switch up their team roster leading into the final stretch before the playoffs.
Looking back, there have been some incredible trades over the years in hockey. Some players ended up being busts, some were undervalued and ended up being incredible, and some trades just left you head-scratching in confusion. Here are some of the most memorable trades that have taken place over the years in the NHL.
NHL’s Most Wanted: Eric Lindros
The story of Eric Lindros goes deep and has roots that affect several teams. In no way an overstatement, Lindros could have single-handedly changed the course of history for any team he landed on when he was drafted first overall in 1991. With comparisons to Wayne Gretzky and the complete package of skills needed on the ice, Lindros was one of the most sought after prospects of the 1990s, a once in a generation player.
After flat out refusing to join the failing Quebec Nordiques after being drafted, Lindros sparked a bidding war, dragging in several teams like the New York Rangers, before eventually being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in what would read as a treasure trove of players and picks – Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, Chris Simon, as well as two first-round draft picks, and $15 million. While this was quite the haul, Lindros was promised to be a special talent.
The Flyers welcomed Lindros with open arms and he became a Philadelphia legend in his own right. While he never won a cup in his career, his performance was superb before his hard-hitting style and multiple concussions caught up with him, sidelining his career at the age of 34. Lindros had a captivating career overall, but the story of his arrival into the NHL has a life all its own.
The Calgary Flames get Burnt in the Brett Hull Trade
Over the eleven years he played for the St. Louis Blues, Brett Hull was one of the most dynamic scorers in NHL history. Putting up 41 goals in his first season with the Blues, his next three would see totals of 72, 86, and 70. Altogether, he scored 527 goals and 936 points across 744 games with the Blues, eventually ending up in the Hall of Fame.
Before all of this, Hull was just a young 23-year-old right-winger in the middle of his rookie season in Calgary. Though his performance thus far was solid, Calgary still decided to trade Hull and left-wing Steve Bozek in exchange for defender Rob Ramage and goaltender Rick Wamsley.
Both Ramage and Wamsley’s careers in Calgary were short-lived, while Hull went on to be named one of the 100 Greatest Players in NHL history, and competed in the Olympics twice, winning a silver medal. St. Louis even retired his number 16 jersey when Hull finally hung up the skates in 2005.
Phil Esposito Traded to Boston 1967
Hockey analysts have had decades to review this trade, and have decided that the Esposito deal was one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history. The Chicago Blackhawks traded the up and coming center Phil Esposito, along with rookie forwards Fred Stanfield and Ken Hodge, for defenceman Gilles Marotte, center Pit Martin, and backup goalie Jack Norris.
At the time it may have been hard to tell, but Esposito was building momentum for what would be a legendary career that would end with an entry into the Hall of Fame. Esposito went on to score over 100 points in six of his eight seasons on the Boston Bruins, ultimately leading the league in goals for five of those years.
The Bruins won two Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972 with Espositio at the pivot. If that didn’t infuriate the Blackhawks enough, fellow trade mates Fred Stanfield and Ken Hodge also went on to have great careers with Stanfield averaging a point per game and Hodge having two seasons where he scored over 100 points. Overall, it’s hard to top how uneven this trade turned out and it will forever be remembered by hockey fans.
Boston Strikes Again with Cam Neely, 1986
Boston pulled off yet another masterful trade for a future Hall of Fame player when they scored the right-winger Cam Neely, and a first-round draft pick for the center, Barry Pederson. While Pederson’s career had already hit its peak, Neely was just getting started. While he was drafted 9th overall by the Vancouver Canucks, Neely had yet to hit his stride. After a few seasons, the Canucks started shopping around and ended up letting him go.
As history would make it, Cam Neely turned it around in Boston and fully embraced his role as a roughneck power forward, who became famous for his aggressive style of hockey. Implementing vicious checks, hard slapshots, and never afraid to throw the gloves down, the fans nicknamed him “Bam Bam Cam.”
During his tenure in Boston, Neely played in five All-Star games and amassed three 50+ goal seasons, before ultimately retiring due to compounding injuries from his power forward style.
The End Of An Era, Gretzky Traded
No list would be complete without a mention of the most analyzed trade that has ever occurred in hockey. The moment that will live on in infamy solely remembered as “The Trade.” A move that was not only heartbreaking but sacrilegious.
Of course, we are referring to the blockbuster trade that saw Gretzky, possibly the greatest to ever lace up skates sent packing to the Los Angeles Kings.
It was certainly baffling at the time, considering that Gretzky had just finished winning his fourth Stanley Cup championship for Edmonton. Speculation suggests that the 1988 Edmonton Oilers were strapped for cash when owner Peter Pocklington decided to trade the legendary Gretzky. With only one year left on his contract, it seemed like a possibility that they could lose Gretzky in the following year anyway.
All said and done, Edmonton received Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks, and a cool $15 million to trade Gretzky, Marty McSorley, and Mike Krushelnyski to the Kings. It’s hard to say Edmonton lost out considering they won another Stanley Cup just two years later, but it will still be remembered as one of the most heartbreaking moments in NHL trade history.
