Brent Burns and 2012 second-round pick for Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle and 2011 first-round pick (2011)
<\/strong><\/p>\nThere are so many Wild trades to choose from, with a particular runner-up being the deal to send Alex Tuch to Vegas to \u201cprotect\u201d unprotected players in the Golden Knights\u2019 expansion draft. In 2011, Burns was a budding star coming up on a payday, and it was the same summer the Wild planned on twin $98 million contracts for Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Burns would become a Norris Trophy winner, a star offensive defenseman and a future Hall of Famer. Had Zack Phillips, whom the Wild took with the pick they got in the deal, amounted to anything, this trade would be a little more digestible. \u2014 Michael Russo<\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n
Patrick Roy and Mike Keane for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault (1995)<\/strong><\/p>\nThis is not a particularly hard choice. The Roy trade set the franchise back for at least a decade, and perhaps even more. This was always seen as a side effect of then-team president Ronald Corey\u2019s decision to fire coach Jacques Demers and general manager Serge Savard and replace them with Mario Tremblay and R\u00e9jean Houle, but the reality is that Savard was already contemplating trading Roy. The Canadiens simply had to get a higher-quality return. \u2014 Arpon Basu<\/p>\n
Nashville Predators<\/p>\n
Mikael Granlund for Kevin Fiala (2019)<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Preds needed center help at the time and were in go-for-it mode under general manager David Poile, who admitted he was trading away a significant talent. They went on to lose to the Stars in the first round and still haven\u2019t won a playoff series since 2018. Fiala has been close to a point-a-game player in Minnesota and Los Angeles, and was the rare case of good Preds scouting at forward. \u2014 Joe Rexrode <\/p>\n
New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n
Vladimir Malakhov and 2007 first-round pick for Alexander Korolyuk and Jim Fahey (2006)<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Malakhov to San Jose trade was a cap dump for the Devils to get under the cap ceiling. They had to attach a conditional first to make the deal happen, and that pick ended up being David Perron, who has played nearly 1,200 NHL games and won a Stanley Cup. In return, New Jersey got Fahey, who played a whopping total of 13 games for the organization, and Korolyuk, who never suited up for the Devils. \u2014 Peter Baugh<\/p>\n
New York Islanders<\/p>\n
Devon Toews for 2021 and 2022 second-round picks (2020)<\/strong><\/p>\nToews became the best version of himself in Colorado, but he still showed a ton of promise on Long Island. He may not have been a prolific scorer with the Islanders \u2014 that just isn\u2019t his game \u2014 but he was a puck-moving presence, with a strong defensive acumen. The team may have been in a cap crunch at the time, but 1) his contract ended up being reasonable and 2) that wasn\u2019t the player to make a casualty. Teams can only hope to draft players of his caliber. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
New York Rangers<\/p>\n
Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge (1976)<\/strong><\/p>\nYounger fans will point to recent trades, such as the 2018 deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a package that amounted to very little or the 2021 exchange that shipped Pavel Buchnevich to the St. Louis Blues and left a void at top-line RW that still hasn\u2019t been properly filled. However, old-timers will rightly contend that the 1976 trade is the clear choice. Middleton, a 22-year-old future Hall of Famer, would rack up 898 points (402 goals and 496 assists) over 12 seasons with the Bruins. Hodge was almost a decade older and well past his prime. The hope was he\u2019d rekindle chemistry with longtime linemate Phil Esposito, but he would last only 96 games with the Rangers before being relegated to the AHL. \u2014 Vincent Z. Mercogliano<\/p>\n
Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n
Mark Stone and Tobias Lindberg for Oscar Lindberg, Erik Brannstrom and 2020 second-round pick (2019)<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Senators don\u2019t have anything from that return helping them in their current era. Not even the 2020 second-round pick, which turned into Egor Sokolov. Stone wasn\u2019t interested in staying in Ottawa as it was in the midst of a rebuild, which led to him being on the market; albeit only a limited number of teams expressed interest as Stone eyed a move to Vegas. Stone eventually got his Cup ring with the Golden Knights during the 2023 Cup final win over Florida. \u2014 Julian McKenzie<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Flyers<\/p>\n
Sergei Bobrovsky for 2012 second-round pick and 2012 and 2013 fourth-round picks (2012)<\/strong><\/p>\nIt\u2019s a good candidate for the worst trade in Flyers history, particularly now that Bobrovsky has led the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and is a strong Hall of Fame candidate, too. Just as bad was the reason they did it: to sign Ilya Bryzgalov to a disastrous, long-term deal that they ended up buying out. The Flyers are still paying Bryzgalov until the summer of 2027. \u2014 Kevin Kurz<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n
Ian Cole, Filip Gustavsson, 2018 first-round draft pick and 2019 third-round pick for Derick Brassard, Vincent Dunn and 2018 third-round pick (2018)<\/strong><\/p>\nJim Rutherford made many, many deals that helped the Penguins win championships, but he made a mistake in 2018 when he gave up Cole, Gustavsson and two picks for Brassard. The Penguins needed a third-line center in their quest to three-peat. It was a role that Brassard never embraced. \u2014 Josh Yohe<\/p>\n
San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n
Andrei Nazarov and 1998 first-round pick for Bryan Marchment, David Shaw and 1998 first-round pick (1998)<\/strong><\/p>\nIn this March 1998 deal, the Sharks allowed the Lightning to swap first-round picks. That meant Tampa Bay ended up with the No. 1 pick (a pick San Jose had received from Florida in a trade the year before) and drafted franchise icon Vincent Lecavalier. Marchment, an often-suspended defenseman, played six seasons in San Jose. The Sharks did draft Brad Stuart at No. 3, the pick they got from Tampa Bay, and Stuart played parts of six solid seasons before becoming part of their greatest trade, for Joe Thornton. \u2014 Eric Stephens<\/p>\n
Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n
The expansion draft (2021)<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Kraken\u2019s limited trade history is mostly filled with wins, or, at the very least, trades in which they received meaningful draft pick compensation for players who don\u2019t especially move the needle. When they\u2019ve bought on the trade market \u2014 Tomas Tatar, Jaycob Megna \u2014 the prices have been modest. What Kraken fans should really regret, however, is how the organization lacked creativity in its approach to the expansion draft. It\u2019s something from which the club is still recovering. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n
St. Louis Blues<\/p>\n
Zack Bolduc for Logan Mailloux (2025)
<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen the Blues sent Bolduc to the Canadiens for Mailloux, there was a lot of second-guessing from fans. Bolduc, 22, was coming off a 19-goal season, while Mailloux, 22, spent 2024-25 in the AHL. That second-guessing has turned into frustration as Bolduc got off to a good start while Mailloux struggled. Fans say they understand that it takes longer for a defenseman to develop, but with Mailloux being re-assigned to the AHL recently, many wish the Blues had a do-over. \u2014 Jeremy Rutherford<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n
Mikhail Sergachev for J.J. Moser, Conor Geekie, 2024 seventh-round pick and 2025 second-round pick (2024)<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Lightning needed to move Sergachev to open up cap space, which allowed the team to bring Ryan McDonagh back. Moser and Geekie were both solid adds for Tampa Bay, too. The thing is, this blue line craves someone with Sergachev\u2019s ceiling: a top-pair defenseman with puck-moving ability. It would really help to have that skill with Victor Hedman in the top four, considering some of the two-way shortcomings of this defensive group. \u2014 Shayna Goldman<\/p>\n
Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n
Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen and 2020 third-round pick for Alex Kerfoot, Tyson Barrie and 2020 sixth-round pick (2019)<\/strong><\/p>\nKadri was coming off his second straight suspension in the playoffs when the Leafs dealt him to Colorado. There was frustration there, certainly. The Leafs also had problems on defense and thought they could solve it with Barrie while replacing Kadri at the same time. It didn\u2019t work. Barrie wasn\u2019t a good fit, and while Kerfoot proved malleable, he was not a full-time center. The Leafs missed Kadri and what could have been a dominant 1-2-3 down the middle with Auston Matthews and John Tavares. \u2014 Jonas Siegel<\/p>\n
Utah Mammoth\/Arizona Coyotes<\/p>\n
Danny Briere and 2004 third-round pick for Chris Gratton and 2004 fourth-round pick (2003)<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Coyotes soured on Briere in a down year and shipped him to the Sabres for Gratton at the 2003 trade deadline. Gratton only stayed for one underwhelming year in Phoenix. Briere, meanwhile, immediately became one of the Sabres\u2019 top scorers, including a career-best 95 points in the 2006-07 season. To make matters worse, the third-round pick the Coyotes sent became Andrej Sekera, who carved out a strong 842-game NHL career. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n
Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n
Cam Neely for Barry Pederson and 1987 first-round pick (1986)<\/strong><\/p>\nVancouver signed Pederson to a contract that carried compensation (think of it as being similar to an offer sheet, but it was a different era) and negotiated a trade that sent struggling young forward Neely and an additional first-round pick to the Bruins in exchange for the talented, oft-injured Pederson. Neely, who grew up in British Columbia, became a Hall of Fame-level power forward in Boston. Pederson had one decent year in Vancouver, but never moved the needle. \u2014 Thomas Drance<\/p>\n
Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n
Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar and 2019 second-round pick for Max Pacioretty (2018)<\/strong><\/p>\nBefore the 2018-19 season, the Golden Knights sent Suzuki, Tatar and a second-round pick to acquire Pacioretty from Montreal. Pacioretty actually did quite well in Vegas, leading the team in goals (32) and points (66) in 2019-20. He had 194 points in 224 games with the Golden Knights before he was eventually traded to Carolina for nothing in return. Suzuki, however, has flourished into an outstanding playmaking centerman and obviously has many more years of high-end hockey left. \u2014 Jesse Granger<\/p>\n
Washington Capitals<\/p>\n
Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat and Michael Latta (2013)<\/strong><\/p>\nWith apologies to both Caps trades involving Jarom\u00edr J\u00e1gr, this is an easy one. Erat was supposed to at least provide short-term help; he wound up scoring twice in 62 games. Forsberg, a first-round pick the year before, has scored \u2026 slightly more for the Preds. \u2014 Sean Gentille<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets<\/p>\n
2026 second-round pick and 2027 fourth-round pick for Luke Schenn (2025) <\/strong><\/p>\nIt is to Winnipeg\u2019s credit that this is such a tough choice. In 2020, subscribers picked Brendan Lemieux, a 2019 first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick for Kevin Hayes, who failed to recreate Paul Stastny\u2019s impact as a rental. Lemieux peaked at 18 points in an NHL season and now plays in Davos, though. A 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick for Tyler Toffoli aged poorly (he didn\u2019t want to be in Winnipeg), but Toffoli was a plus player who scored seven goals in 18 games. The Jets paid nearly that much for third-pairing defenseman Luke Schenn. \u2014 Murat Ates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the NHL trade deadline a few months away, it\u2019s never too early to start thinking about deals.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":396961,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[3115,3103,1720,3113,3107,291,2995,3110,1320,2993,2997,3000,1323,2081,3112,3104,3111,2994,1301,1302,293,3105,3108,1334,1328,2999,62,2996,3106,1304,67,132,68,2082,3114,3116,3109,292],"class_list":{"0":"post-396960","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-anaheim-ducks","9":"tag-boston-bruins","10":"tag-buffalo-sabres","11":"tag-calgary-flames","12":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","13":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","14":"tag-colorado-avalanche","15":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","16":"tag-dallas-stars","17":"tag-detroit-red-wings","18":"tag-edmonton-oilers","19":"tag-fantasy-hockey","20":"tag-florida-panthers","21":"tag-los-angeles-kings","22":"tag-minnesota-wild","23":"tag-montreal-canadiens","24":"tag-nashville-predators","25":"tag-new-jersey-devils","26":"tag-new-york-islanders","27":"tag-new-york-rangers","28":"tag-nhl","29":"tag-ottawa-senators","30":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","31":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","32":"tag-san-jose-sharks","33":"tag-seattle-kraken","34":"tag-sports","35":"tag-st-louis-blues","36":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","37":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","38":"tag-united-states","39":"tag-unitedstates","40":"tag-us","41":"tag-utah-mammoth","42":"tag-vancouver-canucks","43":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","44":"tag-washington-capitals","45":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2220822371-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2244387178-1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n