Hey,
Every year I ask about rumors of deals that almost happened.
Heard D'Angelo to habs almost happened
Anything else?
And some years, I post this response. Back when Doug Armstrong was the Stars GM, they had a season ticket holders lunch, and it was right after the trade deadline in 2004. Someone asked how these deals go down.
DA said its usually in steps, and the first one is the hardest (with a chuckle) because you don't want to insult a fellow GM or their body of work (i.e., assembled team) so he would tread lightly, starting with:
"You guys have had some terrible luck this year because I had you pegged as a sure playoff team. But IF (and I say IF) things continue not going your way, AND you would consider trading a few players, I MIGHT have an interest in X, because he would help our chances. So, I am curious what your ask MIGHT be if you were even willing to move that player. So, give it some thought, and we'll touch base in a few days."
I took it the asking price was usually a bit high (but not ridiculous, because all GM's know that they may need to deal with the other GM's at any point in the future) and perhaps more generic, like "A first, a mid pack D, and an NHL ready prospect.) They wouldn't offer names, at least until they got their scouts to weigh in on what prospects they liked off the other team's list.
The callback would usually happen one way or the other, again, out of courtesy between GM's. The GM with the asset could obviously go several ways, but would probably express interest in seeing what the other team might offer that met his needs. Then the GM might throw out names. DA gave an example of when the Stars were rumored to want to acquire D man Brian Leetch from the Rangers, with rumors centering on the non-existent factor of the Stars wanting to acquire the only (then) native Texan in the NHL.
He said the Rangers GM wanted prospects, and they did end up trading him to TOR for two prospects and a first. DA said we fans wouldn't know any of the names, even though a few are avid draft followers. My guess was Jussi Jokinen, but I'll never know.
My takeaway was that it would be difficult to assess what trades "didn't happen" given the two (or three) GM's sort of have to inch towards each other, all while both are exploring other options at the same time. Exciting for fans to contemplate, maybe even for the GM's but not a job I would want to do.
In a separate incident, I sat next to Bob Gainey on a plane once, and over two hours, he graciously allowed me to pepper him with similar questions. He also gave many examples of trades that got going in the rumor mills, that were never even discussed, or never discussed more than in passing between two GM's at a cocktail party, including one, where a GM asked him, "So, what about Modano for Molgilny" which was never serious, but got reported somehow....maybe because the GM shouted it across the room, LOL, and a reporter heard, and put it up as a scoop, just in case.
