i mean, that's curse-level stuff right there. prospectus for an ibsen play, or a boston-themed martin scorsese movie:
- canucks trade young but slow-to-develop BC born power forward (#1) along with a high draft pick a year in the future (note: the team finished 4th worst in the league that season)
- canucks finish 3rd worst, other team drafts stalwart western league defenseman; but--- local BC-born future superstar center who was way better than pederson was on the table, albeit as a reach at #3 (who am i kidding? we would have taken western league defenseman/bust dean chynoweth with that pick)
[intermezzo: June 6, 1986 - trade in question; June 8, 2005 - young slow-to-develop power forward #1 inducted to hockey hall of fame; June 5, 2008 - stalwart western league defenseman announces retirement]
- 25 year later, canucks make the stanley cup finals. young slow-to-develop power forward #1 is now a reputedly influential front office guy on the other team after a HHOF career. his team has two young, developed power forwards who each resulted from the original trade (wesley --> samsonov pick --> lucic pick; wesley --> mclaren pick --> jeff jilsson --> brad boyes --> dennis wideman --> horton).
his assistant GM is former canucks defenseman (#1) from the sucky pederson era.
- game 1 of the finals, best canucks defensemen gets injured delivering a hip check to other team's young, developed power forward #1 early in the second period, gets injured, out for the season
- game 3 of the finals, early in the first period, score tied 0-0, canucks up 2-0 in the series but down their best defensemen, with their next three biggest minute-eating d-men also nursing injuries (ehrhoff - shoulder; bieksa - MCL; edler - rumoured broken fingers; but sami salo----- surprisingly healthy), fill-in defenseman delivers hit on other team's young, developed power forward #2. ejected from the game, canucks implode defensively, other team's physical game woken up, lose 8-1.
- next day, former canucks defenseman #2 rules in favor of his son's team, suspends canucks fill-in defensemen for the year; canucks d pairs remain in disarray, lose three of the next four games.
[intermezzo: other team's fourth line agitator returns to lineup in victorious game 3 after many healthy scratches; after game 5 victory, in which other team's fourth line agitator played only four minutes, fourth line agitator averages an unprecedented >10'30" in lopsided game 6 and 7 victories, cited as a difference-maker in the series.
@2:50]
- organizational meltdown ensues; best core in team history gets dismantled over next three seasons; canucks brass, haunted by humiliating physical battles lost to other team, blame the loss on lack of toughness.
- three years later,
former canucks defenseman #1, now canucks GM, overpays with a 3rd round pick for a fourth line agitator (#1).
- nine months later,
former canucks defenseman #1 unfathomably re-signs fourth line agitator #1 for four years at $2.65 million per. justifies deal by praising agitator's mentorship of his young but slow-to-develop power forward (#2).
- two months later,
former canucks defenseman #1 gives away young but slow-to-develop power forward #2, with a 5th round pick, for fourth line agitator #2 ($2.5 million cap hit); justifies the trade by saying fourth line agitator #2 will mentor the young kids. fourth line agitator #1 (and his $2.65 million cap hit) still at large.
EDIT:
- five years later, financial audit reveals that former canucks defenseman #1 was a spy all along.
