HawkNut
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- Jun 12, 2017
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The Gretzky trade may be the most impactful trade in not just hockey history, but sports history.
This year, however, marks the 30th anniversary of what I would say was second to only the Gretzky deal of that era. It triggered a domino effect that would help shape the league for the next 15 years.
The Leafs traded a 1991 first round pick to the Devils for defenseman Tom Kurvers.
Kurvers helped Toronto to the playoffs in the 1989-1990 season, as the Leafs desperately needed blueline help.
However, the Leafs began the 1990-91 season at 1-9-1, leaving the possibility open Eric Lindros could go to New Jersey.
So, Toronto makes trades with Quebec to make itself better and Quebec worse. The Nordiques finish last in the league, as there was no lottery then and Toronto finishes second, leaving Quebec with the first pick, expansion San Jose at second and New Jersey at third.
Quebec takes Lindros, and infamous situation unfolds, followed by the Sharks taking Pat Falloon, while the Devils took Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer, who helped them win three Stanley Cups in nine seasons.
The Nordiques became the Avalanche, winning two Cups. The Flyers get a Hall of Famer and retired his number, but no Cups. The Leafs are still looking for their first finals appearance since last winning in 1967. I would also say the Rangers were big winners as well, since the arbitrator awarded Lindros to the Flyers, meaning New York keeps its pieces for its 1994 Cup run.
There's this article on the trade, but I think it might be fun to hypothesize about two scenarios if this trade never happens.
The Tom Kurvers Trade: One Deal, One Million Repercussions
Scenario One: Deal doesn't happen, Quebec still drafts Lindros, Toronto still picks third
At the very least, this scenario still changes much of history, just as not much as the next one.
First of all, does Toronto pick Niedermayer third if it maintains this pick? If not, who would it pick and where would Niedermayer end up then? It had many misses while drafting in the 1980s, passing up on both several Hall of Famers and other exceptional talent.
Second, if Niedermayer is in the picture, how much, if any, does that move the needle for Toronto in 1993/1994? He had three points and was a -3 in 1993, with four points and -1 in 1994.
Niedermayer had 11 points and was +11 in 1995, seven points, five goals, and + 5 in 2000. He also scored 18 points, + 11, in 2003. An out-of-this-world postseason by J.S. Giguere may have been the only thing keeping Niedermayer from two Conn Smythe trophies.
That brings me to my third question: What does New Jersey do without Niedermayer? It still had Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and Martin Brodeur. How much is Brodeur affected? Does New Jersey even win one Cup, let alone three?
I ask myself in this scenario how much this impacts Lindros. In this scenario, the Lindros trade happens, just like it did in the original timeline, but with no Niedermayer in New Jersey, I wonder if the Devils overcome a deficit against the Flyers in the playoffs, and if Lindros is an even bigger legend if not for Scott Stevens injuring him and sending his career downward.
If New Jersey doesn't win those Cups, who does? Does Detroit snap its drought two years earlier, quieting any talk about Yzerman and end up winning three out of four? Does Dallas repeat in 2000? Does Anaheim complete maybe the most improbable Cup run of all time, or maybe we get a matchup of the 2007 Finals four years earlier?
On a more minor note, does anything change in 1994, or does the guarantee and drought ending still happen? Niedermayer had six points in 2001, and was +7. Does anything change from that year, or does Ray Bourque still get his happy ending?
Now it's time for a truly altering scenario.
Scenario Two: Trade doesn't happen, Toronto lands Lindros, Quebec picks third
I'll start off by asking again if Niedermayer still goes third to Quebec. The thought of a Rob Blake-Scott Niedermayer pairing would have been fantastic for the franchise.
Obviously, there's the major one in this scenario. The Lindros trade never happens, which means Peter Forsberg and other pieces stay in Philly.
The article proposes the Doug Gilmour trade never happens if Toronto is the one to draft Lindros.
If it doesn't happen, do the Leafs not make it as far as 1993/1994? This likely means no high stick from Gretzky. Keep in mind, Gilmour was a Hart candidate in Toronto. Does this change the path to the Finals at all, or do the Habs still end up besting the Kings?
In this scenario, there's no Legion of Doom in Philadelphia, either, which means Philly might not make it to the finals until 2010, just as it did in the original timeline.
Does Detroit possibly win four straight Stanley Cups here? What are the chances that 1996 team loses to the Panthers?
What does Colorado do without Forsberg? Let's say the Nordiques do still move to Colorado and the Roy trade still happens. Forsberg had 116 points in the 1996 regular season, 10 goals and 11 assists that postseason. He also scored 14 in the 2001 playoffs.
In a world where Lindros is in Toronto and Niedermayer is in somewhere other than New Jersey, does St. Louis possibly win the Cup in 2001?
Also, if Lindros is a Leaf, how much, if any, does that swing things in Toronto's favor in 2002? Is Mats Sundin a Leaf if Toronto drafts Lindros?
That's with all of these questions, plus the aforementioned questions about Niedermayer not playing for the Devils.
Here's what I think.
If Quebec drafts Lindros, and Toronto picks third, there aren't three Stanley Cup banners in New Jersey. Detroit probably wins three in four years. Montreal, New York, Dallas and Colorado still win the Cups it won in the original timeline. If New Jersey does win a Cup, it might be in 2000, also leaving open a serious chance of a Stars repeat. 2003 might feature the 2007 Finals four years early. Although in this scenario, Stevens might not have the chance to injure Lindros and Philadelphia might make it back to the Finals.
If Toronto drafts Lindros and Quebec picks third, the Stevens incident does not happen. Colorado most likely doesn't have two Stanley Cups. 1993 and 1994 still have the same Finals results, but with no Gilmour trade, Game 7 in 1993 is not infamous, and maybe there is no Game 7 in 1993, and if it is, maybe it's not against Toronto. I'll go as far as to say Detroit wins four straight Stanley Cups, and there's a Cup banner hanging in St. Louis from 2001. Who represents the East in 1997? New York? Dallas still wins in 1999. 2000 is a tossup. Detroit still wins in 2002, but I'd say it's an Original Six matchup in the Finals. New Jersey probably does not win in 2003, it's probably either Anaheim or Ottawa.
It's pretty surreal to think how much this one trade shaped the course of history and helped jumpstart an era. Cups were won and lost with this deal, while also being one of the reasons the Leafs haven't even played for the Cup, much less win it.
What do you think? If this trade never happens, what do you think goes down? Just how much did this trade change things?
This year, however, marks the 30th anniversary of what I would say was second to only the Gretzky deal of that era. It triggered a domino effect that would help shape the league for the next 15 years.
The Leafs traded a 1991 first round pick to the Devils for defenseman Tom Kurvers.
Kurvers helped Toronto to the playoffs in the 1989-1990 season, as the Leafs desperately needed blueline help.
However, the Leafs began the 1990-91 season at 1-9-1, leaving the possibility open Eric Lindros could go to New Jersey.
So, Toronto makes trades with Quebec to make itself better and Quebec worse. The Nordiques finish last in the league, as there was no lottery then and Toronto finishes second, leaving Quebec with the first pick, expansion San Jose at second and New Jersey at third.
Quebec takes Lindros, and infamous situation unfolds, followed by the Sharks taking Pat Falloon, while the Devils took Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer, who helped them win three Stanley Cups in nine seasons.
The Nordiques became the Avalanche, winning two Cups. The Flyers get a Hall of Famer and retired his number, but no Cups. The Leafs are still looking for their first finals appearance since last winning in 1967. I would also say the Rangers were big winners as well, since the arbitrator awarded Lindros to the Flyers, meaning New York keeps its pieces for its 1994 Cup run.
There's this article on the trade, but I think it might be fun to hypothesize about two scenarios if this trade never happens.
The Tom Kurvers Trade: One Deal, One Million Repercussions
Scenario One: Deal doesn't happen, Quebec still drafts Lindros, Toronto still picks third
At the very least, this scenario still changes much of history, just as not much as the next one.
First of all, does Toronto pick Niedermayer third if it maintains this pick? If not, who would it pick and where would Niedermayer end up then? It had many misses while drafting in the 1980s, passing up on both several Hall of Famers and other exceptional talent.
Second, if Niedermayer is in the picture, how much, if any, does that move the needle for Toronto in 1993/1994? He had three points and was a -3 in 1993, with four points and -1 in 1994.
Niedermayer had 11 points and was +11 in 1995, seven points, five goals, and + 5 in 2000. He also scored 18 points, + 11, in 2003. An out-of-this-world postseason by J.S. Giguere may have been the only thing keeping Niedermayer from two Conn Smythe trophies.
That brings me to my third question: What does New Jersey do without Niedermayer? It still had Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and Martin Brodeur. How much is Brodeur affected? Does New Jersey even win one Cup, let alone three?
I ask myself in this scenario how much this impacts Lindros. In this scenario, the Lindros trade happens, just like it did in the original timeline, but with no Niedermayer in New Jersey, I wonder if the Devils overcome a deficit against the Flyers in the playoffs, and if Lindros is an even bigger legend if not for Scott Stevens injuring him and sending his career downward.
If New Jersey doesn't win those Cups, who does? Does Detroit snap its drought two years earlier, quieting any talk about Yzerman and end up winning three out of four? Does Dallas repeat in 2000? Does Anaheim complete maybe the most improbable Cup run of all time, or maybe we get a matchup of the 2007 Finals four years earlier?
On a more minor note, does anything change in 1994, or does the guarantee and drought ending still happen? Niedermayer had six points in 2001, and was +7. Does anything change from that year, or does Ray Bourque still get his happy ending?
Now it's time for a truly altering scenario.
Scenario Two: Trade doesn't happen, Toronto lands Lindros, Quebec picks third
I'll start off by asking again if Niedermayer still goes third to Quebec. The thought of a Rob Blake-Scott Niedermayer pairing would have been fantastic for the franchise.
Obviously, there's the major one in this scenario. The Lindros trade never happens, which means Peter Forsberg and other pieces stay in Philly.
The article proposes the Doug Gilmour trade never happens if Toronto is the one to draft Lindros.
If it doesn't happen, do the Leafs not make it as far as 1993/1994? This likely means no high stick from Gretzky. Keep in mind, Gilmour was a Hart candidate in Toronto. Does this change the path to the Finals at all, or do the Habs still end up besting the Kings?
In this scenario, there's no Legion of Doom in Philadelphia, either, which means Philly might not make it to the finals until 2010, just as it did in the original timeline.
Does Detroit possibly win four straight Stanley Cups here? What are the chances that 1996 team loses to the Panthers?
What does Colorado do without Forsberg? Let's say the Nordiques do still move to Colorado and the Roy trade still happens. Forsberg had 116 points in the 1996 regular season, 10 goals and 11 assists that postseason. He also scored 14 in the 2001 playoffs.
In a world where Lindros is in Toronto and Niedermayer is in somewhere other than New Jersey, does St. Louis possibly win the Cup in 2001?
Also, if Lindros is a Leaf, how much, if any, does that swing things in Toronto's favor in 2002? Is Mats Sundin a Leaf if Toronto drafts Lindros?
That's with all of these questions, plus the aforementioned questions about Niedermayer not playing for the Devils.
Here's what I think.
If Quebec drafts Lindros, and Toronto picks third, there aren't three Stanley Cup banners in New Jersey. Detroit probably wins three in four years. Montreal, New York, Dallas and Colorado still win the Cups it won in the original timeline. If New Jersey does win a Cup, it might be in 2000, also leaving open a serious chance of a Stars repeat. 2003 might feature the 2007 Finals four years early. Although in this scenario, Stevens might not have the chance to injure Lindros and Philadelphia might make it back to the Finals.
If Toronto drafts Lindros and Quebec picks third, the Stevens incident does not happen. Colorado most likely doesn't have two Stanley Cups. 1993 and 1994 still have the same Finals results, but with no Gilmour trade, Game 7 in 1993 is not infamous, and maybe there is no Game 7 in 1993, and if it is, maybe it's not against Toronto. I'll go as far as to say Detroit wins four straight Stanley Cups, and there's a Cup banner hanging in St. Louis from 2001. Who represents the East in 1997? New York? Dallas still wins in 1999. 2000 is a tossup. Detroit still wins in 2002, but I'd say it's an Original Six matchup in the Finals. New Jersey probably does not win in 2003, it's probably either Anaheim or Ottawa.
It's pretty surreal to think how much this one trade shaped the course of history and helped jumpstart an era. Cups were won and lost with this deal, while also being one of the reasons the Leafs haven't even played for the Cup, much less win it.
What do you think? If this trade never happens, what do you think goes down? Just how much did this trade change things?
