Okay, but.....We were trading for future HOFers in some of those cases, so yeah, an one for one wasn't. But remember, Simpson was the #2 overall, Chris Joseph was the #4 overall picks for well.....the Doctor. Paul Coffey. Incidentally, I was at the game when Coffey was first traded for against Quebec, you talk about a palpable excitement in the building.
On that note, I wish Pens fans can experience just how truly innocent it was to be a Pens fan during that time, when Lemieux was just coming into his own....it was unbelievable fun. I guess we have seen that again with Sid and Geno in 2007 and 2008, you just KNEW a cup or few were coming.
Shannon and Bodger for Barrasso. Bodger was a good young player, but Shannon never amounted to anything.
ZZ, Cullen and forget who else for Ronnie Francis and Ulfie (and another big defenseman who's name escapes me). This basically killed the Hartford franchise. Zalapski at the time looked like maybe the best young Dman in the world, but never amounted to anything close to that. Cullen was a gifted offensive player, but was no way a Ron Francis equal. This was an incredible steal.
My point here in bringing this up, you can't be overly enamored with your young prospects and what they might become, especially if you have a team that is a player or two away from being a true contender.