In the NHL, trades are a common transaction for teams to upgrade their organizations or even shed some salary. In most cases, these trades are at or near fair value, but there have also been a number of completely lopsided deals in recent history. Using the past five seasons, we’ll be looking at some of the most one-sided moves and determining who eventually won those specific trades.
Most Lopsided NHL Trades of the Last Five Years: Part 3 of 3
James Van Riemdysk for Luke Schenn.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs took Luke Schenn in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft at fifth overall, they were hoping for a top two defenseman who could play all situations and be the cornerstone of the rebuilding franchise. Were they ever wrong. Schenn turned out to be a barely decent top four (and some may say he isn’t even a top four) and a waste of a top five pick. 2008 was a defenseman heavy draft, with four of the top five picks being defencemen, and 13 defencemen taken in the first round alone. Schenn may have been the worst pick, considering where he was drafted. Looking later in that first round we see Erik Karlsson, Tyler Myers and John Carlson all drafted. Jake Gardiner was picked that round too, and the Leafs also have him now. Regardless, the Leafs had enough of Schenn’s disappointing play and traded him in June of 2012 to the Philadelphia Flyers for left wing James van Riemsdyk. Schenn hasn’t been much better with the Flyers, only having some success in the hitting department but really providing little else to the team.
Van Riemdysk was picked second overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, behind Patrick Kane. So when you compare the two players stats and accomplishments, obviously Kane comes out on top. JVR was having a tough time living up to expectations as a second overall pick in the City of Brotherly Love, only having one 20 goal season in three years. So when the Leafs came knocking with Schenn, the Flyers pulled the trigger, hoping that Schenn could find his potential and help to replace the injured Chris Pronger. The thinking here was that they could sacrifice the offense Van Riemsdyk might have brought if they let him develop further. Almost right from his arrival in Tornto, it was clear that the Leafs had finally pulled off a good trade as Van Reimsdyk notched 18 goals and 32 points in the lockout year, and was a point per game player in the Leafs return to the playoffs. The next year, his first full season as a Leafs, he put up career highs with 30 goals and 61 points but the Leafs missed the playoffs. In 2014-15, he isn’t slacking by any means, having 17 goals and 37 points in 40 games. While broken up recently, he’s been part of one of the most dangerous connections in the NHL playing with Phil Kessel. The Leafs won that one, there really is no doubt about it.
Sergei Bobrovsky for Draft Picks.
Sergei Bobrovsky, affectionately known as “Bob”, was an undrafted goalie playing in the KHL who finally ventured out to play in the NHL in 2010. The Flyers won the Bobrovsky Sweeptakes, signing him to a three-year entry-level deal. His first year with the Flyers was decent to say the least. He posted a line of 28-13-8, 2.59 GAA, .915 SV%, and no shutouts, but when playoffs rolled around, he was not the same goalie, and was replaced with Brian Boucher for the spring.
That summer, Flyers management believed that he didn’t have what it takes to be a starting goaltender. They went out and signed Ilya Bryzgalov to a massive nine-year contract, which would end up being bought out by the Flyers not even two years into the deal. Bob spent one year backing up Bryzgalov and was no doubt frustrated by not playing much and listening to Bryzgalov’s nonsensical ramblings night in night out. He struggled, only playing 29 games and having an .898 save percentage. So at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the Flyers sent Bobrovsky to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a package of three draft picks. Bobrovsky has gone on to put up two winning seasons, including a 32 win season last year with the Blue Jackets, not to mention the Vezina trophy in 2013. He is struggling a bit this year, but this is more with the Blue Jackets having a tough time getting goals, and facing massive injury concerns early in the year.
The Flyers got one second round pick in the 2012 Draft and two fourth round picks, one in 2012 and one in 2013, which came from the Arizona Coyotes. The picks haven’t yielded much yet, except for Anthony Stolarz, who was picked with the second rounder. Stolarz has had some success in the OHL with the London Knights and played one game in the 2014 World Junior Championship for the United States, posting a shutout. Hockey’s Future has him ranked as a ‘C’ prospect, which isn’t that great for a goaltender. Only time will tell if he will turn out to be anything, but as of right now the Blue Jackets won that trade.
Jeff Carter for Jakub Voracek, 2011 1st round pick, and 2011 third round pick.
When the Flyers signed Ilya Bryzgalov to his elephant of a contract, they had to tear down their roster and rebuild using cheaper pieces. So they sent out two of their biggest pieces of the franchise in Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. We’ll be talking about Carter, who is one of the premier snipers in the league, having multiple 20-goal seasons, two thirty goal seasons, and one career-high 46 goal campaign in 2008-09. So it was a definite loss to the Flyers offense when they had to trade Carter, who was also rumored to be having off-ice issues in Philly too. When Carter landed in Columbus though not many could see him lasting long there, despite having a big contract of his own. Sure enough, not even reaching 41 games due to a foot injury, Carter was again traded, this time to the Los Angeles Kings for Jack Johnson and a first round pick, who turned out to be Marko Dano, a ‘B’ prospect ranked by Hockey’s Future.
Columbus sent Jakub Voracek, a promising RW who was oozing with potential, a 2011 first round pick, who turned out to be Sean Couturier, a center with offensive upside who is putting up good numbers this season, and the third round pick was Nick Cousins, who hasn’t played an NHL game yet. Voracek was the biggest piece though, having put up over 40 points in each his first three years with the Blue Jackets. He was young though, and still developing. His first season with the Flyers was not much different though and many thought Voracek was never going to be good for more than 50 points. But when the lockout season was saved and Voracek suited up, he proved he was an offensive force putting up 46 points in 48 games. The next year, he put up a career high 62 points. In 2014-15 though, Voracek is dominating, notching 48 points in 39 games and is a bright spot on a struggling Flyers squad, and is currently leading the NHL in points.
The loser of this trade is Columbus Blue Jackets, twice over. Once for losing Voracek and Couturier and another for only having Carter for 39 games before he wanted out. Sorry Blue Jackets.
Kevin Klein for Michael Del Zotto
When Kevin Klein then of the Nashville Predators, and Michael Del Zotto then of the New York Rangers were swapped during the 2013-14 season it was a move that was all about a change of scenery for two defencemen that were struggling with their current clubs. For one player, things worked out with his new club, while the other was let go for nothing just months later, and now finds himself in Philadelphia.
The once promising Del Zotto had fallen out of favor with Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, often finding himself with limited minutes or in the press box as a healthy scratch. Once he got to Nashville, things didn’t change much, as his puck moving ability seemed to degenerate into him being more of a “puck-giving-away liability.” When Del Zotto was set to become a restricted free agent this summer, the Preds decided against making him a qualifying offer, allowing Del Zotto to become an unrestricted free agent. He sat on the market, unsigned for months, and was only picked up by the Flyers in late August when it was discovered that Kimmo Timmonen would be unable to play this season due to blood clots in his lungs.
Klein meanwhile has become a stabilizing influence on defence for the Rangers, jumping into the top four when injuries hit, and settling in on the third pairing otherwise. He averages over 18 minutes a night in New York, has seven goals and 13 points this season, and is a plus 13. For those who don’t like plus-minus his fenwich for is 52.4% despite the fact he starts a greater percentage of his shifts in the defensive zone than the offensive end. In short, this is a big win for New York.
Jonathan Bernier, for Ben Scrivens, Matt Frattin, and a 2nd round pick
In the summer of 2013, it was no secret that the Leafs were looking for goaltending. Heavily rumored moves for Mikka Kiprussof and Roberto Luongo had fallen through at the previous trade deadline, and while James Reimer led the Leafs to the playoffs, you got the feeling that management just wasn’t convinced he was the guy going forward. Enter a July 2013 move that brought the Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier.
Bernier was a former first round pick of the Los Angeles Kings, who was highly touted but saw his way to the Kings net blocked by one of the best goalies in the game in Jonathan Quick. Now while it made sense to trade him, looking at the returns on other young stud goaltenders traded recently such as Jaroslav Halak from Montreal to St. Louis, Semyon Varlamov to Colorado, and Cory Schneider to New Jersey, you had to think that the Kings could get a good deal for a guy who posted a record of 9-3-1 with a 1.88 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage for Los Angeles that season. Bernier would go on to become the Leafs starter, and many nights he is the main reason why one of the most out-shot and out-possessed teams in the league continues to hang around the playoff race.
So what exactly did the Kings get in return for the young goaltending prospect? They received Ben Scrivens, who played well enough in Los Angeles, but was soon passed on the depth chart by Martin Jones, and shipped off to Edmonton where he has really struggled this year. Matt Frattin, who ended up in Columbus, and then back in Toronto, and is now toiling in the AHL with the Marlies. The second round pick is in 2015.
The players themselves were bad (Scrivens and Frattin) and the Leafs are a big winner as they didn’t give up much for Bernier. However the Kings recovered eventually turning the assets into Marian Gaborik after a series of trades with Edmonton and Columbus. And so it appears the Oilers and Blue Jackets are the real losers here.
Ryan O’Byrne for Michel Bournival.
Ryan O’Byrne was a former third round draft pick by the Montreal Canadiens. He was a big, stay at home defenseman at 6’5. O’Byrne was never thought to be much of an NHL’er, having split time between the Habs, the press box, and the Hamilton Bulldogs. He was with the Habs from 2007-08 until he was traded in 2010-11. He was shipped to the Colorado Avalanche for rookie Michael Bournival. O’Byrne spent a couple more seasons with the Avs, but still not in a big role. At the trade deadline in 2012-13, the Avs sent him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth round pick. After finishing out the season with the Leafs, O’Byrne was not offered a new contract and was allowed to test the free agency market, but couldn’t get a bite from any team. So he chose to sign with the KHL, but the team he signed with declared bankruptcy after his first year. He is currently playing in a Swiss league. O’Byrne also gained some attention in 2008 for getting arrested in Florida in a purse snatching incident. The charges were dropped and he did community service in Montreal.
Bournival was a third round pick by the Avs but wasn’t highly touted. Since coming to the Montreal organization though, he has played well and better than what was originally expected. He played 60 games in 2013-14, notching 7 goals and 14 points. He has been a good two way player and has been great on board play. He was having a solid start to the 2014-15 season, but was injured. He is back now and is looking to improve upon his rookie season.
Habs win that trade, seeing as how O’Byrne isn’t even in the NHL anymore.
Honourable Mention: Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey Devils.
Now this trade is a huge one in hockey history and just borders on the five year deadline for this series. But it definitely had to make the cut. Ilya Kovalchuk was coming to the end of his contract with his long-time team the Atlanta Thrashers (remember them?) and it was reported that he wasn’t going to resign with them, so the Thrashers made the choice to trade him before just losing him for nothing. The Thrashers sent Kovalchuk, Anssi Salmela, and a 2010 second rounder for Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier, and a 2010 first rounder (which was later traded to Chicago, and turned out to be Jimmy Hayes). The only player still in the Thrashers/ Winnipeg Jets system from that trade is Cormier. Oduya and Bergfors both were gone under two years. Salmela was gone from the Devils system after that season. Kovalchuk did sign an albatross contract, 15 years and worth $100 million, but he retired three years into the contract and went back home to Russia to play in the KHL. So this trade, while it still stings the Devils, it hurt the Thrashers/Jets too, having nothing left from that trade that is significant. Both teams are losers really, but the Thrasher/Jets lost more getting virtually nothing for the hottest superstar player available as a trade deadline rental in recent years.
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