I totally forgot the Bellows for Bureau move. What's the story being this? i really can't recall. Usually a good vet like Bellows will return more than Bureau at the deadline even if he is UFA. Yes he did not have many years left in the tank (think he was 32-33 when we traded him?) but when we traded him he was still definitely a serviceable vet for a team looking to win a cup now. He should have returned as much as Plekanec easily. Marc Bureau was a nothing player. An undrafted 4th line scrub who was barely younger than Bellows when the traded was made if i recall correctly.
The Canadiens went on a completely self-destruction mode after the 1993 Stanley Cup.
In the 1995-96 playoffs, the Habs played the Rangers in the first round. The Habs won the Cup 3 years before that, and the Rangers 2. So you had 2 recent cup winners facing off in the first round.
While the Rangers still had their basic core intact, the Habs had
four players left from the 1993 Cup. Just think about it. You win the friggin' Stanley Cup, and just 3 years later there's
four players left from that Cup winning team. Damphousse, Brunet, Brisebois and Odelein. Everyone else was gone.
The team was completely disbanded. Savard started it, then Houle continued.
I mean just think of the Guy Carbonneau trade. I mean wtf.
Being a fan during those years was pretty traumatic.