carter333167
Registered User
- Apr 24, 2013
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Here's what I've come up with in a search that takes me well past the point I intended to go to bed, because ... I guess because of dedication to all of you. It's actually happened 3 times: Los Angeles (1970-1973), Oakland / California [1971-1973], and Philadelphia [1993-1994].
How Los Angeles did it: they actually didn't have a 1st-round pick in 6 consecutive years. They made the playoffs in the first and last years of that stretch.
1969 - in the expansion draft of 1968, the Kings traded this pick and their 1st in 1972 to Montreal for Gerry Desjardins. The Kings would end up 24-42-10, 58 points but knocked off Oakland in 7 before falling to the Blues in 4. Desjardins would play 104 games in goal for the Kings before getting dealt to Chicago; Montreal later dealt this pick to Minnesota to protect Dick Duff from being taken in the '69 Intra-League draft; the North Stars would take Dick Redmond.
1970 - before the expansion draft of 1968, the Kings needed Skip Krake from Boston and traded this pick to the Bruins for him. The Kings would end this season 14-52-10 and 38 points and be nowhere near the playoffs. Krake would play 88 games with the Kings as part of a serviceable but unspectacular NHL career. [He'd have better luck over in the WHA.] The Bruins would use the pick to take future Conn Smythe trophy winner Reggie Leach.
1971 - a year after shipping the '70 1st away, the Kings dealt this pick to Boston for Ross Lonsberry and Eddie Shack. Oh, and the Kings also gifted the Bruins their 1st in '73. They proceeded to go 25-40-13, 63 points and miss the playoffs a 2nd straight year. Lonsberry would play 2 1/2 decent seasons with the Kings, then go to Philadelphia and win the Cup twice with the Flyers. Shack was late in his career and would play 84 games with the Kings before getting moved to Buffalo as the Sabres stocked their NHL roster. Boston would waste this pick on Ron Jones.
1972 - see 1969. The Kings still weren't close at 20-49-9, 49 points. The Canadiens used this pick to take future HOFer Steve Shutt.
1973 - see 1971. It was the best point total in a season to date for Los Angeles at 31-36-11, 73 points, but still 3 points shy of a playoff spot to miss for the 4th consecutive year. The Bruins would take Andre Savard, who would go on to have a serviceable career most notably with Buffalo.
1974 - after having dealt away 5 1st-round picks before the franchise had played its 2nd full season, the Kings waited all the way until May, 1973 to deal this pick away. This time, it was for Bob Murdoch [who would play 414 games for the Kings!] and Randy Rota [who would play ... 58]. The Kings got into the playoffs this year, going 33-33-12 for 78 points. Montreal would take future HOFer Mario Tremblay.
Oakland missed the 3 years it didn't have a 1st-round pick. [And, it missed the playoffs from 1970 until the franchise technically dead-ends in Cleveland.] The story of how they traded those picks away is ... kind of similar to what Los Angeles did. Maybe, slightly worse.
1971 - the Seals, having come off a 22-40-14 season in 1969-70, were approach by Montreal with a fantastic offer: take Montreal's 1st-round pick in 1970 and Ernie Hicke, and send back Francois Lacombe. Oh, and also send back Oakland's 1st-round pick in 1971. Oakland used the 1st on Chris Oddleifson [who would never wear an Oakland/California jersey as he got dealt to Boston for Ivan Boldirev]. Hicke would go 22-25-47 in his rookie season, but the Seals were a league-worst 20-53-5 for 45 points, meaning their 1st-round pick was #1 overall. Well, not their 1st-round pick any more; it was Montreal's 1st-round pick at #1 overall - and the Canadiens gleefully used it to take future HOFer Guy Lafleur.
1972 - the Seals traded this pick to Montreal for Bryan "Bugsy" Watson ... in 1968. Watson would play 50 games for Oakland before getting dealt to Pittsburgh in January, 1969. California went 21-39-18 for 60 points in '71-72. The Canadiens used the pick on future backup Michel "Bunny" Larocque.
1973 - the Seals sent this pick [and their 2nd round pick in this draft] to Montreal for a 2nd-round pick in '72 and the opportunity to take Carol Vadnais in the Intra-League Draft .... in 1968. [Which should tell you about when it was traded.] Vadnais would play a couple years with Oakland, then get traded to Boston where he'd be a part of the Bruins' Cup-winning team in 1972. The Golden Seals would miss the playoffs a 3rd straight year, going 16-46-16, 48 points. Montreal later flipped this pick to Atlanta, who took Tom Lysiak.
Philadelphia's explanation is much more simple: the Flyers traded away their 1st-round picks in 1993 and 1994 in the deal to get Eric Lindros [trade completed 6-30-1992]; the Flyers missed the playoffs both years, both times trailing the Islanders by 4 points.
Honorable mention:
NY Rangers - traded away their 1st-round picks for 2000 and 2002, didn't make the playoffs in either year. [They also didn't make the playoffs in 2001.] The 2000 pick went to Tampa at the 1999 draft to get the #4 overall pick to use on Pavel Brendl; the 2002 pick went to Florida at the trade deadline to get Pavel Bure.
Pittsburgh - traded away their 1st-round picks in 1971 and 1972; they missed the playoffs in '71, and only got into the playoffs in '72 on some tiebreak over the Flyers. The '71 pick was traded to St. Louis in 1969 in a deal that sent Ron Schock, Craig Cameron and a 2nd in '72 go to the Pens for Lou Angiotti and that '71 1st. [Don't ask what we did with that pick; you'll cry.] The '72 pick went to Minnesota for Bob Woytowich in ... October, 1968.
Now that is some research! Thanks, IB!
