Nalyd Psycho
Registered User
That was a brilliant deal by the Pens and a classic example of how to make a trade - and the EXACT OPPOSITE of how trades are insufferably suggested on this board. As you mentioned, Cullen's stock was through the roof at the time, he was having a superb year statistically (a Marc Savard of his time, in many ways). Zalapski was young and skilled, meaning he was "untouchable" by the standards of many of the GMs on this board.
Pens demonstrated why often the best deals are made when you "sell high". The trade value of both JC and ZZ would never be greater.
Gotta disagree with you.
Two things have changed:
1. Salary cap. Francis and Samuellson would both have come with hefty contracts while Cullen and Zalapski relatively cheap.
2. The 92,94,95,96,98 & 99 drafts sucked. And 93 and 97 weren't that good. Be it development, dillution or statistical anomolly, drafts in the 90's were generally really bad and few players drafted then are impact players today. There simply aren't Ron Francis type players available today. The best offensive players are becoming younger and younger because drafts this decade have been superior. So it vastly changes things. That sort of trade just isn't as feasable nowadays due to demographic switches in the NHL's player base.