5 Blockbuster Trades That Almost Happened

[elvis15]

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Steven Stamkos to the Rangers

Until the one-for-one trades started flying, Stamkos had been the focus of the 2016 off-season. His stay-or-go decision with the Lightning had dragged on all season, and he was reportedly the top target for several teams if he’d made it to free agency. He’s widely considered one of the best players in hockey. So it’s easy to forget that, at one point early on in his career, Stamkos was viewed as a bit of a bust.

The top pick in the 2008 draft, Stamkos arrived in Tampa with plenty of hype. But he got off to a slow start, scoring just twice in his first 21 games. He struggled under Lightning coach Barry Melrose, at one point seeing as little as six minutes of ice time. He just didn’t look ready for NHL action. And within weeks, according to Larry Brooks of the NY Post, the Lightning had decided to trade him.

The deal was struck with Glen Sather and the Rangers, and according to Brooks would have seen the future all-star sent to New York in exchange for “two or three from a wish list that featured Michael Del Zotto, Evgeny Grachev, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Dan Girardi.”

According to Sather, the deal was done and sealed with a handshake. The problem: That handshake was with Lightning co-owner Len Barrie. When general manager Brian Lawton found out about the discussion, he wanted no part of the deal. Barrie still wanted to go forward, according to the report, but co-owner Oren Koules refused, and the deal died.

Melrose was fired, Stamkos was a 50-goal scorer by his second year in the league, and the rest is history.

Cory Schneider for Gilbert Brule

According to former Columbus GM Doug Maclean, this swap was apparently proposed back in 2008. And it was Dave Nonis and the Canucks who made the offer.

In hindsight, the deal would have been one of the most lopsided in recent memory. Brule never amounted to much in the NHL and hasn’t been seen in the league in two years, while Schneider has established himself as one of the best goaltenders in the world. But back in 2008, things weren’t so clear. Both players were considered top prospects at the time, albeit slow-developing ones; Brule had struggled through three seasons in Columbus after being the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, while Schneider had yet to make his NHL debut after being taken 26^th in 2004. A change of scenery for both players may have been just what they needed to finally make an impact.

Instead, Maclean and the Blue Jackets turned down the Nonis offer, instead choosing to send Brule to the Oilers for Raffi Torres in a deal that didn’t really work out for either team. The Canucks saw Schneider blossom, then shipped him to New Jersey for a first-round pick as part of the whole Roberto Luongo fiasco.

Claude Giroux for Paul Ranger

This one almost seems too ridiculous to be true. One of the league’s best centers, straight up for a former sixth-round pick who topped out at 31 points? But apparently the offer was made – and it was the Flyers who made it.

So what were they thinking? Let’s remember that while Giroux was a first round pick in 2006, he wasn’t viewed as a sure-thing prospects, going 22^nd overall (and then seeing Bobby Clarke forget his name). He didn’t blossom into a full-fledged star until his third full season at the age of 23, so it’s not inconceivable that the Flyers may have had thoughts about moving him before then.

As for Ranger, he played his way up through the Lightning system and seemed well on his way to establishing himself as a solid two-way defenseman before leaving the team for personal reasons in 2009. So yes, there was a time where he may well have been the sort of player you traded for an offensively gifted prospect who hadn’t put it all together yet. Or, in the case of the Lightning, the sort of player you turned down that sort of deal for.

Harold Ballard sells Frank Mahovlich

Frank Mahovlich is one of the most beloved Maple Leafs of all-time, so it stands to reason that Harold Ballard tried to ship him out of town. And it’s also not especially surprising to find out what Ballard wanted in return – not a similar player or a boatload of prospects, but cold hard cash.

The offer was made back in 1962, when the 24-year-old Mahovlich was well-established as one of the game’s best players. Chicago owner James Norris was having a few drinks with Ballard when the topic came up, and soon the two had a deal. The Hawks would buy Mahovlich for a million dollars – at the time, the highest sum ever paid for a pro athlete.

The offer was reported in the media, which treated it as an offer under consideration. But it was more than that – the two men had made a deal. But once word got out, Norris’s brother Bruce stepped in to try to block the move. He enlisted the help of Leafs’ legend Conn Smythe, whose son Stafford was working alongside Ballard, and the two were able to talk everyone out of going forward.

Mahovlich went on to play six more years in Toronto, including four straight in which he was named to the league’s first or second all-star team, before being traded to the Red Wings in 1968. Meanwhile, Ballard learned his lesson and never did anything crazy ever again.

Mark Messier for Brett Hull

The Blues and Rangers shared a bizarre 1994 offseason, one in which Cup-winning coach Mike Keenan bailed on New York to join St. Louis in a move packed with questionable behind-the-scenes maneuvering that eventually led to fines and suspensions. But things almost got even weirder on the eve of the 1994-95 season, when reports surfaced that the teams were considering a mega-trade involving their captains.

While a Messier-for-Hull deal sounds unthinkable today, the pieces seemed to line up at the time. Messier was embroiled in a contract dispute with the Rangers, one that saw him hold out to try to force management’s hand. And Hull was rumored to want no part of playing for Keenan, a notorious hard-nose who could be tough on his stars. A deal to reunite Messier and Keenan while sending the talkative Hull to the bright lights of Broadway made a lot of sense.

And apparently, the deal was discussed, and may have been close. Just how close is up for debate – Rangers GM Neil Smith later denied the reports – and the speculation died down once training camp ended and the first of Gary Bettman’s lockouts began. Once the season finally started months later, Messier ended his holdout and any trade talk came to an end.

So could the deal have really happened? It’s worth mentioning that Hull ended up being right about not getting along with Keenan, and rumors of a deal that would send him to New York continued for years. As for Messier, he did end up reuniting with Keenan a few years later. But it was in Vancouver, and the less said about that, the better.

Amazing some of those were turned down, even at the time!

 

[Nucker 67]

Schneider for Brule a massive Blockbuster? Really? 

[chon derry]

if the messier for hull deal would have happened ,maybe linden doesn't get traded,  dark days.

[SabreFan1]

Had the Hull trade happened, the 1999 Stanley Cup finals would have been a whole lot different.

[SabreFan1]

Also, what the hell is up with the Canucks and goaltenders?!  Hopefully the Sabres will get Demko if he gets foolishly traded away anytime soon.

[AV.]

Stamkos to the Rangers was clearly an April Fool's joke lol

[HC20.0]

27 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

Schneider for Brule a massive Blockbuster? Really? 

Schneider's a top 5 goalie in the league today. Yeah it would have been a blockbuster, and hoo boy we'd have gotten roasted in that deal.

[elvis15]

28 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

Schneider for Brule a massive Blockbuster? Really? 

It would have been pretty big for us. But I agree that it wasn't really as big as something like a Messier for Hull trade.

[Pears]

48 minutes ago, elvis15 said:

It would have been pretty big for us. But I agree that it wasn't really as big as something like a Messier for Hull trade.

Debatable at the time. Brule was still a huge question mark and Schneider had starting potential. I'm happy we waited and got Bo. 

[MJDDawg]

Thank God we turfed Nonis!

[Odd.]

1 hour ago, SabreFan1 said:

Also, what the hell is up with the Canucks and goaltenders?!  Hopefully the Sabres will get Demko if he gets foolishly traded away anytime soon.

Nah, that won't happen

[SabreFan1]

2 minutes ago, Odd. said:

Nah, that won't happen

Not with JB as GM.  He may not always be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he does know when he has young raw talent on his roster and I'm sure he'll keep a tight grip on Demko. 

 

I've been wanting Demko for the Sabres since before he was even drafted by the Canucks.

[Jam126]

1 minute ago, SabreFan1 said:

Not with JB as GM.  He may not always be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he does know when he has young raw talent on his roster and I'm sure he'll keep a tight grip on Demko. 

 

I've been wanting Demko for the Sabres since before he was even drafted by the Canucks.

Give us Eichel.

[SabreFan1]

2 minutes ago, Jam126 said:

Give us Eichel.

[Odd.]

Just now, SabreFan1 said:

Not with JB as GM.  He may not always be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he does know when he has young raw talent on his roster and I'm sure he'll keep a tight grip on Demko. 

 

I've been wanting Demko for the Sabres since before he was even drafted by the Canucks.

He's also our best goaltender prospect we've ever had since Schneider. Demko might make the NHL as early as next year if we don't re-sign Miller. 

 

 I could see Miller being re-signed for another 1-2 years, on a  cheap contract to be the backup for Markstrom next year. Then we can ease in Demko when's actually ready. I would definitely be behind this move. Miller would teach and mentor not only Markstrom, but Demko into becoming a Vezina trophy winner himself one day.

[Bissurnette]

8 minutes ago, SabreFan1 said:

Not with JB as GM.  He may not always be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he does know when he has young raw talent on his roster and I'm sure he'll keep a tight grip on Demko. 

 

I've been wanting Demko for the Sabres since before he was even drafted by the Canucks.

You have Lehner who's a decent goalie in his own right. He's your Markstrom and he's still young that you don't need another goalie coming up the ranks for a few years. Actually speaking of which, what is the Sabres biggest need right now? Defense seems pretty shoddy I suppose.

[SabreFan1]

57 minutes ago, Odd. said:

He's also our best goaltender prospect we've ever had since Schneider. Demko might make the NHL as early as next year if we don't re-sign Miller. 

 

 I could see Miller being re-signed for another 1-2 years, on a  cheap contract to be the backup for Markstrom next year. Then we can ease in Demko when's actually ready. I would definitely be behind this move. Miller would teach and mentor not only Markstrom, but Demko into becoming a Vezina trophy winner himself one day.

I'd be shocked if Miller took a job as a backup anywhere instead of just retiring.  Now that he has a baby at home it wouldn't be worth taking a pay cut in the millions.

 

I think Demko will be in the NHL backing up Markstrom in '17-'18.

[SabreFan1]

58 minutes ago, meh_wassup said:

You have Lehner who's a decent goalie in his own right. He's your Markstrom and he's still young that you don't need another goalie coming up the ranks for a few years. Actually speaking of which, what is the Sabres biggest need right now? Defense seems pretty shoddy I suppose.

I'm happy with Lehner but I'd love to have Demko waiting in the wings.  I think he's going to end up being a top 5 goalie in a few years.  Lehner will hover around the top 10.

[HK Phooey]

1 hour ago, Odd. said:

He's also our best goaltender prospect we've ever had since Schneider. Demko might make the NHL as early as next year if we don't re-sign Miller. 

 

 I could see Miller being re-signed for another 1-2 years, on a  cheap contract to be the backup for Markstrom next year. Then we can ease in Demko when's actually ready. I would definitely be behind this move. Miller would teach and mentor not only Markstrom, but Demko into becoming a Vezina trophy winner himself one day.

I've got a different perspective of Miller...I don't see him as a guy who is too keen on mentoring anyone.  He seems to be a guy who is solely worried about himself and himself only (not saying that's a bad thing).  I see Miller as a guy who would mentor by being a guy to be observed by Markstrom and Demko (maybe that's enough to be considered "being a mentor", but both Markstrom and Demko appear to be guys who already have their schizzle together)...I don't see a whole lot of teaching and sharing coming from Miller (unlike Burrows).

[HC20.0]

1 hour ago, SabreFan1 said:

Hahaha no Demko for you. The first elite potential prospect we've had in years.