Biggest "Almost" Deals Through History?

Mayor Bee

Registered User
Dec 29, 2008
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I remember a poster on these boards once mentioning that Joe Thornton was nearly traded to Calgary from Boston. Apparently Boston wanted Regher but Sutter wouldn't let him go. I was honestly a little depressed after hearing that, can you imagine a decade+ of a Thornton-Iginla combo in their primes?

In 2005, St. Louis offered Chris Pronger to Columbus.

Doug MacLean wouldn't do it because it would mean losing Alexandre Picard.:shakehead

(Alexandre Picard, who'd end up with 67 career NHL games, 0 goals, 2 assists)
 

Tawnos

A guy with a bass
Sep 10, 2004
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Charlotte, NC
Sather wanted one of either Shawn Burr, Joe Murphy, Steve Yzerman, Gerard Gallant, Petr Klima, or Bob Probert. Devellano didn't want to trade any one of those players and the deal was declined.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=_OgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1353,7500910&hl=en

Ironically, Klima and Murphy both ended up in Edmonton just a couple of years later, along with Adam Graves, for Jimmy Carson. The three were a big factor in the Oilers 5th Cup in 1990. At least Sather parlayed the disaster of the Gretzky trade into another Cup...

And to add yet another connection... the guy the Red Wings got for Klima and Murphy (Carson) ended up being dealt to Los Angeles for... you guessed it... Paul Coffey.
 

Eisen

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Sep 30, 2009
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Not sure how "almost" it was, but the story goes that the Nords were willing to part with Nolan, Forsberg, and Hextall for the 1st pick in 1993. You know, Daigle.



Jesus, could you imagine if those two things had happened?

While no Yzerman, Yashin was still very good. Who knows? Maybe he doesn't have the knee injury with Detroit. He would have fit.
 

Sens Rule

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Sep 22, 2005
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Crazy how both Yzerman and Sakic were considered talented but unexceptional prior to their winning the Cup, and subsequently being regarded as all-time HoF greats.

Steve Yzerman wasn't thought of that way... Really. He was an awesome force... 155 points. He got the criticism a few years later when the Wings went from a good team losing to the dynasty Oilers to an absolutely elite all-time team that could not win the Cup. No one thought 1988,89,90 Yzerman wasn't a winner... (His peak).. It was after the Wings got so stacked and kept not winning the Cup. After his absolute peak. Keenan was an idiot for not selecting Yzerman in best on bests. That is on him... Like his ripping of Gretzky on the Blues... Keenan did some monumentally stupid things.

Sakic I agree... Until 1996 when he put up an astoundingly complete and dominant season... He was thought of a kind of one dimensional scorer. He combined his first amazing season with a Cup. After that he wasn't just a nice scorer... He was a winner and a leader and all those great platitudes were delivered to him. Sakic never was thought of as failing... He was on bad, bad teams and then when they started to win Sakic put it all together. Yzerman had a different trajectory. He went from great scorer but not much else to awesome force in the season shortened by injury... To being the best in the world not named 66 and 99... Perhaps jointly having that title with Messier... Scoring 155 points in a very limited team. Did it with Gallant and Probert on his wing. At that point in 1989 he was the man. The expectations became immence. And once the Wings got elite he was expected to lead them to many Cups like Trottier and Messier or whatever. It took awhile until he was able to do it and people got impatient... Including Bowman. Then Yzerman actually did lead them to the promised land and losing for a few years with great teams was forgotten.

Not the same path but both eventually cemented their full legacies.
 

VanNistelrooy

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Jun 15, 2005
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Habs Land
Didnt see this one : Back when Kovalchuk was drafted, Habs tried everything to get the first pick from the Trashers. Lots of pick were involved, (Habs had two first round picks), Zednik, Markov and Habs offered Garon, while Atlanta wanted Theodore. That was the dealbreaker that canceled the offer.
 

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
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Didnt see this one : Back when Kovalchuk was drafted, Habs tried everything to get the first pick from the Trashers. Lots of pick were involved, (Habs had two first round picks), Zednik, Markov and Habs offered Garon, while Atlanta wanted Theodore. That was the dealbreaker that canceled the offer.

So if Atlanta does get Theo, no Kovy but maybe they pick JayBo, Lupul, Pitkanen or someone else instead of Lehtonen. Kovy I'm not sure he stays in MTL long term with the immense media pressure.
 

Zippy316

aka Zippo
Aug 17, 2012
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I'm sure somebody might know more about this, but I've read that the Devils thought they had Marian Hossa for Brian Gionta + Tallackson + 1st before Pittsburgh swept in with their Armstrong/Esposito offer.

I might be off on the Tallackson part, but I know the other two components were what I read. Anyone have anything on that? I could be wrong on this though so don't take it for a fact.
 

alko

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Oct 20, 2004
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I'm sure somebody might know more about this, but I've read that the Devils thought they had Marian Hossa for Brian Gionta + Tallackson + 1st before Pittsburgh swept in with their Armstrong/Esposito offer.

I might be off on the Tallackson part, but I know the other two components were what I read. Anyone have anything on that? I could be wrong on this though so don't take it for a fact.

Fast search in google - and all what i found is this.

But no any details.
 

crobro

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Aug 8, 2008
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Pavel Bure when with the Canucks the devils offered Bill Guerin,Brian Rolston,and Scott Neidermeyer.
 

iamjs

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Oct 1, 2008
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Maybe not a trade, but the Penguins were interested in Lafleur three years before his '88 comeback

Cr4FvoeUIAAv7k0.jpg
 

Sens Rule

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Sep 22, 2005
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Maybe not a trade, but the Penguins were interested in Lafleur three years before his '88 comeback

Cr4FvoeUIAAv7k0.jpg

Sather and Edmonton coveted him Around that time as well. The Habs would rather have him retired then playing elsewhere and refused to trade his rights anywhere.

Thanks Habs management... We never got to see Lafleur with 99 or 66.
 

c9777666

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Aug 31, 2016
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in 1995, Serge Savard was considering trading Patrick Roy to Colorado, but his version would've netted the Habs a better return:

Instead of Thiabult/Kovalenko/Rucinsky, in exchange would have been Stephane Fiset/Owen Nolan.

But that was before he got fired and Tremblay/Houle came in.
 

Nalyd Psycho

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Feb 27, 2002
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Trevor Linden in his prime seems to have had value somewhere just below Wayne Gretzky in terms of being offered for Joe Sakic, Jeremy Roenick and from what i've read Sergei Fedorov (who would join Mogilny and Bure in Vancouver)

Linden's performance in '94 was the kind of thing that makes coaches unable to stand up for twenty minutes.
 

BraveCanadian

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Jun 30, 2010
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Gretzky signing with the Leafs.

That would have been huge even if he was on the downswing of his career.
 

bleedblue94

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Jun 8, 2004
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Then of course there's the example of Mike Richter being traded to St. Louis at the deadline in 2001. Deal was apparently agreed to by all parties, but Sather decided to give Richter one last home game at MSG after almost 15 years with the Rangers, and he got a massive concussion in that game and missed the rest of the year, obviously nullifying the trade. Makes you wonder how different history would be. If he backstopped the Blues instead of Turek that playoffs, do they knock off Colorado and does Bourque retire? Probably not, but there's always the "what if?".


I know this is an old post, but just reading through this thread is so interesting.

However, I'm 99% sure this is wrong. Richter actually tore his acl the first time on that night of his would be last game for the Rangers. I believe the following year (maybe 2 years) he tore the acl in his other knee. His major concussion really was brought on by a Chris Tamer (playing for atlanta) slapshot from center ice that hit him in the mask.
 

VanIslander

A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
Sep 4, 2004
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Gretzky said it came down to Vancouver or L.A.. He and his Hollywood wife chose L.A.
 

alko

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Oct 20, 2004
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That here are rumors, i saw in Slovak papers Sport, in season 1995/1996. Dont know exactly the date.

Robert Svehla + Ed Jovanovski + Rhett Warener (Panthers) FOR Bryan Berard (Isalnders)


This one is from season 1998/1999, cca September:
Ziggy Palffy + Zdeno Chara (Islanders) FOR Pavel Bure (Canucks)

And this one from 1993/1994:
Jaromir Jagr (Pens) FOR Phil Housley (Hartford Whalers)

If any of you can find better sources, please post it.
 

TOGuy14

Registered User
Dec 30, 2010
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Toronto
Tomas Kaberle was almost traded for apparently every stud in the league during the 90s or early 2000s

http://www.fiveminutesforfighting.com/2012/08/tomas-kaberle-trade-rumour-history.html

Talks between the Leafs and Flyers were contentious, mainly because Clarke didn’t actually want to make Lindros happy by trading him to his preferred destination. Miraculously, the talks progressed to a point that the Leafs and Lindros had agreed to a five-year, $45 million contract, but two separate deadline deals fell apart.

One deal was Nik Antropov, a few years removed from being the 10th overall pick, Dmitry Yushkevich, the Leafs’ No. 1 defeceman, and an undisclosed player.

Another deal was Antropov, 24-year-old defenceman Danny Markov, and a first-round pick.

However, the Flyers insisted upon 22-year-old Tomas Kaberle. The Leafs refused and the Flyers ultimately dealt Lindros to the Rangers for a package of Jan Hlavac, Kim Johnsson, Pavel Brendl, and a third-round pick.

The deal was Lecavalier to Toronto in exchange for Nik Antropov, drafted nine spots behind Lecavalier in 1998, Tomas Kaberle, Jonas Hoglund, and either recently drafted Brad Boyes, or Toronto's first-round pick in 2002 (Alex Steen).

According to Bill Watters, Toronto's assistant GM, the deal was complete. However, Tampa Bay GM Rick Dudley couldn't get Lightning ownership on board and the trade was never made.

With Bryan McCabe about to sign a five-year contract, John Ferguson Jr. discussed bringing Pronger to Toronto. The initial offer was Kaberle, who himself just signed a fresh contract, and Matt Stajan, who scored 27 points as a 22-year-old. The Oilers insisted Alex Steen be a part of the package over Stajan, as Steen, a former first-round selection, was coming off a 45-point rookie season.

Ferguson would not part with both Kaberle and Steen, and the Oilers dealt Pronger to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, and three draft picks.

One of the major deals on the table for Fletcher was Jeff Carter, in the midst of what would be a 29-goal season, and a first-round pick for Tomas Kaberle. Fletcher was probably drooling at the thought, but Kaberle nixed the idea, using his no-trade clause to stick around in Toronto with the rest of his NTC-havin’ buddies.

With the threat of an offer sheet looming (which would have cost Toronto a first, second, and third-round pick), the two sides finally struck a deal a few months later. Toronto sent two first-round picks, which turned out to be the second and ninth overall, plus a second-round pick, for Kessel.

If Burke had agreed to the initial “offer”, he could have had Kessel for Kaberle and Kadri. So instead of Kessel, Kadri, Joe Colborne and Tyler Biggs, the Leafs would have Kessel, Tyler Seguin, and Dougie Hamilton. Are you sufficiently sad yet?
 

Stephen

Moderator
Feb 28, 2002
77,653
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Was posted a week ago, forgot where, but if the stars got lecavlier in the summer of 2013, they don't trade for seguin.

I think Lecavalier probably would have filled the spot Jason Spezza ended up taking, not the Seguin one.
 

crobro

Registered User
Aug 8, 2008
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720
What about poklington and Ballard considering trading their entire teams for each other.
It almost happened.
 

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