Saturday, June 22, 2013
WAAP Top Ten: Worst Trades Of The Salary Cap Era
It's getting to be that time of year, as the Stanley Cup Finals near to a close and fan's attentions turn towards the offseason and changes their teams will make. Trading in the salary cap era is different than it was before, though that hasn't stopped some GM's from making horrific blunders. Here's my list of the top ten worst trades since 2005.
1. (2012) Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus - 2nd, 4th, 4th round picks to Philadelphia.
Everyone knew at the time of this trade that Philly was taking a risk. Bobrovsky was a young up and coming goalie who obviously had talent. But the Flyers were sticking with Ilya Bryzgalov between the pipes and were looking to move Bobrovsky for whatever they could get, in this case some draft picks. Now, you can't exactly call this one a straight win for Columbus, it depends on how those picks pan out in the future. However, with Bobrovsky winning the Vezina Trophy after a phenomenal campaign, and Bryzgalov on the short list of players soon to be bought out, right now this looks like the worst trade in the salary cap era.
2. (2006) Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld, Bryan Allen to Florida - Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek, 6th round pick to Vancouver.
Oh if Mike Keenan could only go back in time and undo this trade, he might not have been forced to resign as GM of the Panthers so soon afterwards. The Canucks were looking to part with Bertuzzi after the power forward lost his way in Vancouver (for obvious reasons that don't need going into here). That they were able to get Luongo, considered by many at the time one of the top five goalies in the world, out of Florida was shocking. Luongo led the Canucks to 6 division titles, 2 Presidents trophies, a Stanley Cup Final, was named to three all star teams and got 2 Vezina nominations. Bertuzzi played a total of seven games for the Panthers before moving on. Auld likewise played only one season in Florida. Even with Allen providing quality defensive minutes for five seasons with the Panthers, this trade was still so lopsided in the end.
3. (2006) Andrew Raycroft to Toronto - Tuukka Rask to Boston.
I'm sure everyone expects to read about the Phil Kessel trade as being the worst between these two teams. Even though the price was steep, Kessel is a top goal scorer in the NHL and that trade is too often maligned. The deal of Raycroft for Rask however, especially given how the former has played this spring, is unforgivable. Raycroft was a recent Calder trophy winner, but found himself a frequent scratch behind Tim Thomas and Hannu Toivenen during the 2006 season. Toronto, sensing an opportunity to get a top starting goalie, swooped in and picked him up. The price, a young Finnish stopper named Rask, seemed inconsequential at the time. People knew Rask was going to be good, but so was (they assumed) Raycroft. Fast forward to today, and where are they? Raycroft is playing mediocre hockey in Italy's Serie A, while Rask is in the Stanley Cup Final. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know who won this trade.
4. (2011) Jeff Carter to Columbus - Jakub Voracek, 1st round pick (Sean Couturier), 3rd round pick to Phildelphia.
Yes, Philly and Columbus appearing again on the list, though this time it was the Jackets that got fleeced. The Flyers had signed Carter to a massive 11 year, $58 million dollar contract and suddenly realized they wanted to get out of it and go in a new direction. Columbus was looking for a top flight scorer to rejuvenate the team, and was willing to pay the price for Carter. Philly got what they wanted, cap relief and two excellent young players in Voracek and the first rounder Couturier, both of whom are still solid contributors to the team. Carter however struggled and managed only 39 games in Columbus before he was shipped off to LA (where he won the Stanley Cup later that season). Though Columbus got a decent return for Carter from LA (Jack Johnson and a pick), getting him in the first place was a huge mistake.
5. (2007) Brandon Bochenski to Boston - Kris Versteeg to Chicago
This is another trade that seemed somewhat inconsequential at the time but ended up having a huge effect on one of the teams later. Both Bochenski and Versteeg were young players that had performed well in the AHL, but not been given a real chance in the NHL. Bochenski had only 50 career NHL games to his credit, while the younger Versteeg had none. However, looking back on it now it seems pretty ridiculous that this trade was made. Bochenski only managed 51 games over two seasons with Boston, scoring 11 goals, and has since been playing in the KHL. Versteeg on the other hand has scored 20 goals four times, was a key member of the 2010 Chicago Stanley Cup champs, and continues to be a top line player in Florida. The Bruins haven't made a lot of terrible trades in their history, but they must be kicking themselves for giving up on Versteeg so soon.
6. (2009) Ryan McDonagh, Dough Janik, Chris Higgins, Pavel Valetenko to New York Rangers - Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt, Michael Busto to Montreal.
Don't get confused by all the names, this trade is really about Gomez for McDonagh. Many bad trades in the salary cap era are largely considered so because of the numbers involved. Gomez is the perfect example. A two way center who had made his living in the Devils organization, winning two Cups, he signed a massive, $7 million dollar per season contract with the Rangers. His production slipped in New York and he was sent to Montreal in this deal. While with the Canadiens, Gomez scored a total of 21 goals in three seasons after the trade before ultimately being bought out. Terrible production with a caphit that tied the Canadien's hands. McDonagh on the other hand is turning into one of the finest young defensemen in the NHL. The Rangers got rid of Gomez's contract, and also got McDonagh out of the deal? I'd say that's a win.
7. (2005) Zbynek Michalek to Phoenix - Erik Westrum and Dustin Wood to Minnesota.
This trade doesn't get much notice, nor should it considering the names of the players involved. However it's easily one of the top ten worst trades of the salary cap era. Michalek ended up becoming a solid, top four defenseman for 5 seasons in Phoenix and recently rejoined the club last year. He put up 17 or more points in each of those seasons and proved to be reliable defensively. Westrum was a star in college, but that success never translated to the NHL and he played only 10 games for the Wild and registered only one assist. Wood never even got a taste of NHL action and currently plays in the EIHL in Britain. Talk about getting something for nothing.
8. (2008) Colby Armstrong, Erik Christiensen, Angelo Esposito, 1st round pick to Atlanta - Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh.
Sometimes when a team makes a splash at the deadline to upgrade their team for a long playoff run, they have to pay a heavy price. This is not the case here. The Thrashers knew they weren't going to be able to keep Hossa, and were selling him off to the highest bidder. Pittsburgh won, but the assets they had to give up seem paltry in comparison to what they got. Armstrong did have one good season in Atlanta, potting 20 goals, but was moved to Toronto two years later. Christiensen produced even less, managing only 7 goals in 57 games for the Thrashers. Esposito, the former first rounder who many thought was the key to the deal, still hasn't played in the NHL five years later. And the first round pick, who became Daultan Leveille (you're asking, who?) has not sniffed the NHL either. In return, Pittsburgh got the high flying Hossa, who propelled them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008, while Dupuis has been a consistent scorer for the Penguins, most recently getting 38 points in 48 games this year as Sidney Crosby's running mate.
9. (2005) Eric Meloche, Patrick Sharp to Chicago - Matt Ellison, 3rd round pick to Philadelphia.
I really don't mean to sound like I'm dumping on Philly in this article, but man is this a bad trade. At the time Sharp was a 25 year old who had scored only 10 goals through parts of three seasons with Philadelphia. Ellison had been a huge scorer in junior and was still adjusting to the pro game. Meloche was largely a journeyman and basically just a throw-in part of the trade. It was another one of those trades that not many people took notice of at the time. Now however, oh was it big. Sharp has become one of the most dangerous scorers in the NHL, hitting the 30 goal plateau three times, 60 points four times with Chicago while being a key figure in two Stanley Cup Final appearances. Meanwhile, Philly got all of 7 games and one assist out of Ellison. That's gotta hurt if you're Flyers GM Paul Holmgren.
10. (2007) 1st round pick (Jonathon Blum) to Nashville - Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen to Phildelphia.
What the heck, the Flyers on the list again? I'll say this for Holmgren, when the man trades it's either a huge success or a disaster. No doubt this one should be filed under success. The Predators paid a steep, steep price at the draft in 2007 to get Blum, a dominant offensive defenseman for Vancouver in the WHL. Especially considering that Blum has been inconsistent at the NHL level, only playing 91 games for the Preds since he was drafted six years ago. Especially especially with what they had to give up to get him. Hartnell has evolved into an all-star for Philly, twice hitting the 30 goal plateau. And Timonen has been a star as well, scoring at least 37 points in each season (discounting this year's shortened season) since joining the Flyers, leading all Flyers defensemen in scoring during that time. David Poile is a shrewd GM, but he really messed this one up.
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