Brendan Shanahan

[MessRich11*]

For Rangers fans, remember back in 96, when Neil Smith could've traded Alex Kovalev and 2 draft picks (Dan Cloutier and Christian Dube) for Brendan Shanahan? Do you think he should've followed through with that?

Click to read more...

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

What did the Rangers get when they traded him to Pittsburgh? He was traded, right?

 

[MessRich11*]

Kovalev? Smith traded him in November 98 for Petr Nedved. Didn't help the Rangers make the playoffs though.

 

[Blades of Glory]

Well it sure beats trading Kovalev for Petr Nedved and Sean "the wrong" Pronger in 98. Even if the Rangers had that offer out there, which I am not sure is true, I think Hartford would have taken Detroit's offer of Primeau, Coffey, and a 1st over Kovalev and two prospects. Coffey still looked like an elite offensive defenseman, even though his defense was hilariously bad and his departure from Detroit would signal the end of his career, for all intensive purposes. Not to mention, Primeau was a far more proven player than Kovalev at the time and was only 2 years older. He showed offensive talent in Detroit, but as a center, he obviously was stuck behind Fedorov and Yzerman, not to mention the newest addition Larionov. Kovalev's issue then and forever was that he was not easily motivated. He always had spectacular talent, but needed someone to pull it out of him. It's why Mike Keenan stuck him with Graves and Messier in 94, and why Kovalev performed so well during the playoffs, most notably in the Cup Finals. But after that, they never were able to get him going full speed again, despite Messier's best efforts.

 

[BamBamCam*]

What did the Rangers get when they traded him to Pittsburgh? He was traded, right?

Shanny signed as a FA with NY and then signed as a FA with the Devils. The Rangers never traded for him or traded him.

Also, Shanny never played for the Pens.

 

[BlackDog13]

Shanny signed as a FA with NY and then signed as a FA with the Devils. The Rangers never traded for him or traded him.

Also, Shanny never played for the Pens.

Kovalev.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Kovalev? Smith traded him in November 98 for Petr Nedved. Didn't help the Rangers make the playoffs though.

Yes I meant Kovalev. Guess the "he" was too vague. And given what he was traded for, yeah that first trade would have obviously been worth it. I still don't know if they would have been a playoff team all those years - their defense and goaltending were in shambles after beukeboom and richter got hurt.

 

[BamBamCam*]

Yes I meant Kovalev. Guess the "he" was too vague. And given what he was traded for, yeah that first trade would have obviously been worth it. I still don't know if they would have been a playoff team all those years - their defense and goaltending were in shambles after beukeboom and richter got hurt.

My bad, need to brush up on comprehension.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

i wonder about kovalev in hartford. on the one hand, a lot of guys didn't want to be there in that era: shanahan, primeau, coffey, larmer, and i think there were others. on the other, he would have been the main guy offensively and counted on to carry the team. his best years have been in that situation (montreal) and i think a lot of what made him such an inconsistent player, effort-wise, was that he never had to be the man in new york or in pittsburgh so he got used to coasting a lot.

 

[tony d]

The question gets to if Shanahan went to New York in 1996, does Detroit win a Cup in 1997? I've often said that adding Shanahan was the final piece to Detroit's Cup hopes. Wonder if they win it all in 1997 without him.

 

[Blades of Glory]

The question gets to if Shanahan went to New York in 1996, does Detroit win a Cup in 1997? I've often said that adding Shanahan was the final piece to Detroit's Cup hopes. Wonder if they win it all in 1997 without him.

No, I don't think they do. Shanahan was the "missing piece" that they always lacked in the late round. Against New Jersey in 95 and Colorado in 96, Detroit had no one that could match up with Scott Stevens and Adam Foote physically. Stevens, especially, intimidated the hell out of the smaller, less physical Detroit forwards. Shanahan was a huge addition in the regard that he could stand up to Foote physically. Those two had some great battles, and Shanahan was one of the biggest reasons Detroit beat Colorado in 97.

 

[MessRich11*]

Do you think Shanahan could've been the missing piece for the Rangers in 1997? Especially with his goal scoring and size, that would've given the Rangers a better chance against Philly.

 

[John Flyers Fan]

Do you think Shanahan could've been the missing piece for the Rangers in 1997? Especially with his goal scoring and size, that would've given the Rangers a better chance against Philly.

Wouldn't have been enough. Rangers needed more size and better on the blueline than anything else.

 

[jkrx]

As far as I remember Rangers refused Whalers trade offer because they wanted more than the players in OP. I don't remember who else it were or if it were a 1st rounder.