Worst Trade in the Doug Wilson Era

[WSS11]

I don’t think Nolan was signed for the next season and he was also riddled with injuries.

he hit UFA the offseason going into the lockout because the NHL rejected the player option clause in his contract in the event of a lockout which would have secured an additional year. So he would have been under contract for that WCF season.

Report: NHLPA files grievance on Nolan's contract

He did hit the injury bug 2 years prior but played 75 RS games the next two seasons including the year he was dealt to TOR. The ‘03-‘04 season injuries were freak accidents that don’t necessarily happen if he stays in San Jose.

Nolan awaits word on seriousness of eye injury

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/leafs-keep-quiet-about-nolan-s-injury-1.470332

 

[Pinkfloyd]

he hit UFA the offseason going into the lockout because the NHL rejected the player option clause in his contract in the event of a lockout which would have secured an additional year. So he would have been under contract for that WCF season.

Report: NHLPA files grievance on Nolan's contract

He did hit the injury bug 2 years prior but played 75 RS games the next two seasons including the year he was dealt to TOR. The ‘03-‘04 season injuries were freak accidents that don’t necessarily happen if he stays in San Jose.

Nolan awaits word on seriousness of eye injury

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/leafs-keep-quiet-about-nolan-s-injury-1.470332

I’m pretty sure he was a free agent after the 2002-03 season as well but I don’t have anything to confirm that right now.

Nevermind. I finally found something showing his status then. He was under contract. However his injuries were catching up with him regardless. He wasn’t good in the playoffs for the Leafs and was already declining by then. I don’t think keeping him would’ve altered anything.

 

[WSS11]

I’m pretty sure he was a free agent after the 2002-03 season as well but I don’t have anything to confirm that right now.

Nevermind. I finally found something showing his status then. He was under contract. However his injuries were catching up with him regardless. He wasn’t good in the playoffs for the Leafs and was already declining by then. I don’t think keeping him would’ve altered anything.

Maybe...we’ll never know, but it’s fun to speculate. He was always an ace on the PP with his shot and I think if he doesn’t suffer those in game injuries after being dealt to TOR and stays healthy it could have been a different year for him.
I just remember watching that series and thinking how much we missed Nolan’s physical presence while Sutter had the Flames pounding us every second of every game. I agree on McCualey being a great defensive forward and leader but I think we were missing one more scoring threat in our top six especially after Sturm got hurt. Saw some of the game on YouTube and believe lines would have been something like:

Koryluk-Marleau-Cheechoo
Ekman-Damphoussee-Nolan
Thornton-Ricci-Dimitrakos
Primeau-Smith-Harvey
Goc

 

[Lebanezer]

Aside from the annoying Ehrhoff trade I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of DW's earliest stinkers that I HATED immediately and still hate...

"The San Jose Sharks announce a 3 way deal with the Sabres and Bruins - effectively they're getting Curtis Brown for the playoff push in exchange for prospect Brad Boyes, a centerpiece of the Owen Nolan deal with Toronto last year."

Not that Boyes was some world beater, but

This should be in serious consideration for the worst trade in DW’s history. It’s one of the few trades where he gave up a player who was close to the NHL or had played in the NHL and turned into a high quality player. Boyes was the centerpiece of the Nolan trade and was then moved for a terrible 3rd line center, who did next to nothing for the franchise before leaving to sign with the Blackhawks. He did return a year after that, but overall that trade was flat out stupid and terrible asset management.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

I don’t think Nolan was signed for the next season and he was also riddled with injuries.

He had another year on his contract.

Edit: already discussed.

 

[exchequer]

Tye McGinn for what ended up being the #70 pick.

 

[exchequer]

Aside from the annoying Ehrhoff trade I'm surprised no one has mentioned one of DW's earliest stinkers that I HATED immediately and still hate...

"The San Jose Sharks announce a 3 way deal with the Sabres and Bruins - effectively they're getting Curtis Brown for the playoff push in exchange for prospect Brad Boyes, a centerpiece of the Owen Nolan deal with Toronto last year."

Not that Boyes was some world beater, but

Curtis Brown ended up being pretty good as a postgame media personality.

 

[DisbeliefInDW]

Even though I know he has a lot of supporters here, genuinely surprised at least someone hasn't said the Karlsson trade. I wouldn't have even made the trade at the time, but now it would be horrible to do even Norris for Karlsson 1 for 1.

 

[Barrie22]

In hindsight maybe but at the time Heatley for Havlat was celebrated here. No one thought he could get out from under that Heatley contract. What happened to Havlat after the fact was almost comically unfortunate. When healthy (I know, rare), Havlat was pretty effective and fun to watch. No way do I blame DW for that trade.

Fail, bumped up thread got me lol.

 

[sharski]

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELFOOOOOOOOOOUR
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELFOOOOOOOOOOUR
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELFOOOOOOOOOOUR

 

[Used As A Shield]

Necro'd

 

[stator]

As trades go, not evaluating the player too much, but his worse is Karlsson. Gives up a first and package. Then he has to sign him in free agency at full price with the extra year. If the Stone trade didn't go down that same season, the negative optics on DW would maybe look slightly better.

Next up is the Polak trade.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Rivet stood up for guys and whooped ass when needed. Also played a solid d game and helped get Campbell back in a deal. I have fonder memories of that deal than some. Especially when he scared then beat the piss out of Steve Ott.

Guerin was a unmitigated disaster.

 

[magic school bus]

Travis Moen and Kent Huskins for Bonino. Awful trade at a time when we had a top team, and it cost us a much needed bottom-6 forward for the next decade.

 

[themelkman]

Roman Polak comes to mind, but also I don’t know many of the pre 2008 trades

 

[PacificOceanPotion]

Bill Guerin.

 

[Hodge]

He targeted the wrong players at the deadline over and over and over again. I don't even care about the stuff he gave up I just wish he had traded that stuff for what the team actually needed.

 

[fEyD08]

I am surprised no one said Jones for Kuraly and Trent Fredric /s

That 2016 1st rounder really hurts. There's still nobody in the organisation that can evaluate good goaltending.

 

[magic school bus]

I am surprised no one said Jones for Kuraly and Trent Fredric /s

Eh, Kuraly's a 4th liner and Frederic still hasn't proven himself. As bad as Jones is now, he still was a quality starter and gave us a great run in 2016.

 

[Kcoyote3]

Jones was a great trade at the time and for about 3 years after.

I still think moving up to take Mueller was horrible. Ended up being Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha. But still it made absolutely no sense to move up when Mantha just came off a 50 goal season in his draft year and stood at 6 foot 5 and was available at 18.

 

[tiburon12]

Travis Moen and Kent Huskins for Bonino. Awful trade at a time when we had a top team, and it cost us a much needed bottom-6 forward for the next decade.

plus Bonino was a Sharks-killer for years.

9 goals and 23 points in 36 games against the Sharks. thats a .25 goals/game and .63 points/game

Compare that to a career .19 goals/game and a .45 points/game

 

[tealzamboni]

He targeted the wrong players at the deadline over and over and over again. I don't even care about the stuff he gave up I just wish he had traded that stuff for what the team actually needed.

And when the bill comes due, he makes another trade or picks for need in the draft. And if those picks have low ceilings or aren't groomed to develop because they have to fill an immediate need, then the bill eventually comes due again . . .

And so goes the adventures of Debt Wilson, the fastest trade gunslinger in Sad Jose.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Travis Moen and Kent Huskins for Bonino. Awful trade at a time when we had a top team, and it cost us a much needed bottom-6 forward for the next decade.

Bonino has played on like 8 teams now. You think he’d still be a Shark right now??

 

[matt trick]

I think the underlying numbers were bad, but Polak’s physicality was key against the Blues. He was totally exposed by Pittsburgh’s HBK line, but not sure Demelo was going to handle it much better. Way better skater so it could have helped, but that was just an elite line. If I recall Couture and Thornton held Crosby and Malkin relatively in check, but Kessel and Cullen’s lines annihilated SJ.

Pavelski also had a horrible series. He was always so automatic in the slot but for whatever reason seemed to consistently fail to lift pucks, alas.

Worst trade was Guerrin. Rivet hurts because Pacioretty seemed like a SJ pick, and he (and Perron) were the type of secondary scoring the team lacked for years.

I hated the Ehrhoff trade, but Wilson put himself between a rock and a hard place with the Heatley acquisition (but even then those trades sent out like $11M Heatley and three roster spots equally around $10M, so it’s hard to say that someone wasn’t leaving).

The trade I most regret is the one not made. Not dealing Carle, Michalek and pieces for Pronger was a huge error. His cap hit was pretty reasonable and he was a top 3 dman. Elite defensively, great first pass, ruthless in front of the net.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

I think the underlying numbers were bad, but Polak’s physicality was key against the Blues. He was totally exposed by Pittsburgh’s HBK line, but not sure Demelo was going to handle it much better. Way better skater so it could have helped, but that was just an elite line. If I recall Couture and Thornton held Crosby and Malkin relatively in check, but Kessel and Cullen’s lines annihilated SJ.

Pavelski also had a horrible series. He was always so automatic in the slot but for whatever reason seemed to consistently fail to lift pucks, alas.

Worst trade was Guerrin. Rivet hurts because Pacioretty seemed like a SJ pick, and he (and Perron) were the type of secondary scoring the team lacked for years.

I hated the Ehrhoff trade, but Wilson put himself between a rock and a hard place with the Heatley acquisition (but even then those trades sent out like $11M Heatley and three roster spots equally around $10M, so it’s hard to say that someone wasn’t leaving).

The trade I most regret is the one not made. Not dealing Carle, Michalek and pieces for Pronger was a huge error. His cap hit was pretty reasonable and he was a top 3 dman. Elite defensively, great first pass, ruthless in front of the net.

They would have won at least 1 cup of that deal gets made and Pronger stays healthy. Speaking of which, maybe he never has the eye injury if he’s a Shark instead of going to Anaheim. I also wonder if the Karlsson deal was a make up for blowing the Pronger one.

And I recall your recollection of the cup final to be fairly accurate. For as much as they fluffed Crosby from before game 1 through the undeserved Smythe, he scored 0 goals and had 3 assists (not counting the game 6 en assist with less than a minute). I’ve never heard such a big deal made for a player who really didn’t move the needle for his team.