The History of Trade is a mini series going through each teams best and worst trades of all time. Each team has their own history and some may cross over, but the series will try to stick to each team. The first article will focus on the Anaheim Ducks best and worst trade of all time.
The Anaheim Ducks, formally the Mighty Ducks, have a very interesting trading history. From big names to piece players, the Ducks have managed their roster well. Even though they have only been around since 1993, they have made some truly blockbuster deals.
Best Trade
The Ducks trade history looks like a wall from the Hockey Hall of Fame. From Rob Niedermayer to Chris Pronger, the big names have come and gone. But the Biggest trade is also probably the most obvious one. The Ducks managed to steal the soon to be Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne.
The Trade
Ducks trade Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky, and the 1996 third round pick (Per-Anton Lundstrom) to the Jets for Teemu Selanne, Marc Chouinard, and the 1996 fourth round pick (Kim Staal)
Traded Away
The Ducks robbed the Jets blind on this trade. The draft picks were negligible. Kim Staal ended up playing one season in the AHL while Per-Anton Lundstrom never managed to make it over to the states at all. Moving those pieces aside we then get the Jets haul of Chad Kilger and Oleg Tverdovsky.
For his part, Kilger was consistent. Unfortunately for the Jets he only lasted three years in the organization, playing only 63 games total. Kilger only managed 13 points total for the Jets and Phoenix Coyotes organization. He was eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with Jayson More for Keith Carney and Jim Cummins.
Tverdovsky managed to play four seasons between the Jets and Coyotes organization. He even managed to finish fourth in team scoring in the 1996-1997 season behind some top players. After that, Tverdovsky only managed to eclipse 20 points once while with Phoenix. He would soon return to the Ducks and put up 50 points twice more but the damage to the Coyotes organization had been done
The Return
Marc Chouinard was the unfortunate throw in in the deal. Drafted by Winnipeg the year prior, Chouinard never played for the team up north before getting shipped to California. He muddled around in the AHL for parts of four seasons before joining the big club. Unfortunately for him he never managed to make a big impact for the Ducks. He eventually moved on as a free agent to the Minnesota Wild in 2003.
Selanne was clearly the centerpiece of the deal. After arriving midway through the 1995-1996 season, he proceeded to put up 36 points in 28 games. He followed that up with four seasons of at least 85 points before being traded in 2000-2001 to the San Jose Sharks. Selanne returned in 2005-2006 and continued his scoring dominance in Anaheim. He became the focal point of a team that included Paul Kariya, another soon to be Hall of Famer. Clearly the winners were the Ducks in this trade.
Honourable Mentions: Ducks acquire Pronger from Edmonton for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, 2007 first round pick (Nick Ross), 2008 second round pick (Travis Harmonic), and 2008 conditional first round pick (Jordan Eberle), Ducks traded 2013 second round pick (Marco Roy) to Edmonton for Andrew Cogliano
Worst Trade
For all their good trades, the Ducks have been involved in some pretty bad ones for their own organization. Trading away Chris Kunitz and watching him win three Stanley Cups had to hurt. But the worst trade may have actually included the same man that was part of the best trade in franchise history.
The Trade
The Ducks trade Teemu Selanne to the San Jose Sharks for Jeff Friesen, Steve Shields, and the 2003 second round pick (Vojtech Polak)
Traded Away
Once again, the great Teemu Selanne was traded away, this time to the San Jose Sharks. Selanne would go on to struggle slightly in San Jose, never eclipsing the 70 point total. He still had his scoring touch, potting 29 and 28 goals respectively in the next two seasons to lead the Sharks. The Ducks brass is now just left to wonder what could have been had Selanne not left. Upon his return he put up a staggering 40 goals and 90 points in 2005-2006.
The Return
The return for Selanne was less than impressive. Jeff Friesen came to Anaheim and put up 43 points before being shipped to the New Jersey Devils for a package including Petr Sykora. After two more decent season in New Jersey Friesen stopped producing at the top level and soon was demoted to the AHL and eventually went to Europe to continue his career.
Steve Shields was supposed to be the big return for Selanne. Shields posted a 2.56 goals-against-average and 0.911 save percentage in 1999-2000. He followed that up with a 2.48 goals-against-average and, again, a 0.911 save percentage the following year, albeit in only 21 games. When he arrived in Anaheim, the Ducks were hoping he would push Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the starting job. Unfortunately he was unable to really contend at all. Shields was traded to the Boston Bruins for a third round pick in the 2003 draft which turned into lifetime AHL and ECHL player Shane Hynes.
The draft pick may have been the best return in this deal. Although Vojtech Polak never actually played for the Ducks, his draft pick was traded to the Dallas Stars along with the Ducks own second round pick (B.J. Crombeen) for Dallas’ first round pick which turned into Corey Perry. But the immediate return for Selanne was never enough.
Dishonourable Mentions: Andy MacDonald traded to the St. Louis Blues for Doug Weight, Michal Birner and a 2008 seventh round pick (Paul Karpowich), Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi traded to Pittsburgh for Ryan Whitney.
via Last Word on Hockey, by Nick McVicar
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