As mentioned in this article’s friend part, the Boston Bruins have come out on the triumph mission of various of the most lopsided trades in NHL history. Milt Schmidt turned around a moribund dealership by acquiring Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield from Chicago for pennies on the dollar.
For 28 years, Harry Sinden acted as an elite judge of geniu and predict; the three men apparently “ve always known” when to jettison one participate while buying low-spirited on a superior asset. Even Jeff Gorton, interim general manager for precisely two months in 2006, tallied a big win by acquiring Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft.
Alas, it hasn’t ALWAYS been sunshine, climbs and victories for the Bruins’ front office. This has never been more apparent than in recent years. However, even the mighty Sinden has a few trades on which he’d like to take a mulligan.
You’ll notice various recent and striking omissions. The trading of a third-round pick for Zac Rinaldo proved to be horrific; there’s no doubt about that. Nonetheless, until the musician drafted with that pick( goaltender Kirill Ustimenko) turns into anything more than a long-term projection, the administer does not warrant inclusion on this list.
The same seeks for the transaction of Dougie Hamilton. At the time, general manager Don Sweeney was blasted for the paltry return for a possible number-one defenseman.
Calgary Flames defenseman Dougie Hamilton( Photo by Mark LoMoglio/ Icon Sportswire)
Nevertheless, Boston was able to salvage value by enlist Zachary Senyshyn, Jacob Forsbacka-Karlsson and Jeremy Lauzon with the acquired picks; the three even out a sizable contingent of Boston’s impressive and provoking grapevine of young ability. More season is required to properly assess that trade.
Without further ado, these are the seven( eight, including honorable mention) worst swaps in Boston Bruins history.
Dishonorable Mention
Bruins Acquire: Trent McCleary, Third Round Pick( Eric Naud)
Senators Acquire: Shawn McEachern
All the fragments seemed to be in place for Shawn McEachern to enjoy a tedious vocation in Boston. He was an Irish kid from Waltham who tore up the college hockey ranks at Boston University. After splitting three seasons between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, he came home, recording 24 points and 53 objects for his hometown Bruins.
To the catch of numerous, McEachern was moved in the offseason for Trent McCleary, a bottom-six grinder. A third-round pick also came to Boston in the cope, which was used to select tough guy Eric Naud.
Shawn McEachern( Photo courtesy of palebluescot/ Flikr .)
McCleary would go on to play 59 sports for the Bruins, registering exactly three goals and eight points. Naud would not only fail to make it to the NHL team, but he likewise frisked merely 27 plays in the AHL, valuing one goal.
On the other hand, McEachern would go on to enjoy eight successful safaruss between the Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers, tallying 169 goals and 385 points.
Though this wasn’t precisely a franchise-altering trade for the Black& Gold, it is indicative of the direction the right was moving in. The time following the McEachern trade, Boston missed the playoffs for the first time in 30 years, and would fail to qualify for the postseason two additional days over the next four seasons.
Calgary Contrition
Bruins Acquire: Jim Craig
Flames Acquire: Second-Round Pick( Steve Konroyd ), Third-Round Pick( Mike Vernon)
Fresh off his sterling success and heroics in the 1980 Olympics, goaltender Jim Craig came home to Boston. Acquired for a second-round pick and a third-round pick, the North Easton native seemed to be a perfect fit. The recently-acquired Rogie Vachon would hold the fort while Craig got his feet wet at the NHL level as a backup. With Vachon having precisely turned 35 years old, Craig would hopefully be the heir-apparent.
It was not meant to be.
Jim Craig’s Olympic gear( Photo by Wikipedia)
His tenure with the Bruins would last merely 23 recreations; his NHL resume would boast just three added appearings. He gathered a 9-7-6 record with a goals-against-average of 3.68, and the Bruins were embroiled during the first round of the playoffs.
Calgary’s third-round pick was spent on a regional goaltender identified Mike Vernon. Vernon would go on to play 781 sports in the NHL, triumphing 385. He triumphed a Stanley Cup with the Flames at the end of the 1988 -8 9 season. He and Chris Osgood shared the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest objectives allowed during the 1995 -9 6 season. Vernon prevailed another Stanley Cup the subsequent year, in which he was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Steve Konroyd had a journeyman’s career, playing for six different teams. However, he toy 895 tournaments of steady protection over 13 -plus seasons.
Flopping Like a Seal
Bruins Acquire: Carol Vadnais, Don O’Donoghue
Golden Seals Acquire: Reggie Leach, Rick Smith, Bob Stewart
Three times prior to being involved in one of Boston’s best sells of all-time, Carol Vadnais comes within the framework of one of the franchise’s worst.
That’s not a knock on Vadnais, who was a very useful defenseman for the Bruins over parts of five seasons. He recorded 181 moments over 263 games with Boston; excellent digits for a defenseman of the era. He was also a member of the 1971 -7 2 Bruins squad that hoisted the Cup at season’s end.
Don O’Donoghue was not quite as successful, as he failed to dress for a single NHL game.
So if Vadnais was such a good fit, how could this be one of the franchise’s worst markets?
Though his best success would not come with the Golden Seals, Leach lit up the tournament for years as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Reggie Leach with the California Golden Seals( Photo by Melchior DiGiacomo/ Getty Images)
Following his transaction from Boston, he would register 372 aims and 640 stages between California, Philadelphia, and Detroit.
He overshadowed 20 objectives in ten straight-shooting seasons, 30 goals six hours, and potted 61 points during the 1975 -7 6 season. In the 1976 playoffs, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy despite playing for the runner-up.
The kicker here is what Leach did against the Bruins in the 1976 NHL semifinals. En route to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final image, the Flyers overcame an excellent Bruins team four tournaments to one. In the five recreations, Leach valued NINE objectives. Nine. Including five in the clinching game.
Both Rick Smith and Bob Stewart would go on to enjoy successful careers as continuous if unspectacular defensemen. However, it’s because of what Reggie Leach reached post-trade that acres the consider on this list.
Flyers Filch From Foe
Bruins Acquire: Mike Walton
Flyers Acquire: Rick MacLeish, Danny Schock
This is the second installment of the Philadelphia Flyers turning onetime Bruins actors/ prospects into key patches of their mini-dynasty that clashed with( and often gloried over) the Black& Gold. This time, the participate came directly from Boston.
Mike Walton was a solid backer in his brief stint with the Bruins, contacting the 25 -goal mark in each of his two full seasons. And though Danny Schock would toy precisely 14 activities in the NHL following the trade, the Flyers still decidedly got the better of Boston.
Rick MacLeish, the fourth overall picking in the 1970 NHL Draft, would go on to enjoy an prestigious job, the majority of which was spent in Philadelphia. He valued 349 destinations and 759 stations over 14 seasons, prevailing the Stanley Cup twice with the Flyers.
Rick MacLeish( Photo: Bettmann/ Corbis)
Losing an excellent player as one of the purposes of a bad trade is disheartening and distressing. Sending that participate to a team that goes on to eliminate you from the playoffs twice in three years( including once in the Final) is salt in the curve. MacLeish even composed the game-winning goal versus Boston in the 1974 Final.
Fun fact: This was actually a three-team trade, in which Philadelphia sent future Flyers star Bernie Parent to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The squad that drafted the future Hall-of-Fame goaltender? The Boston Bruins.
Swiping Seguin
Bruins Acquire: Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Joe Morrow, Matt Fraser
Stars Acquire: Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, Ryan Button
Well, here it is. The craft that, fair or not, defines the latter places of Peter Chiarelli’s time in Boston.
Just one year after inking Tyler Seguin to a six-year, $34.5 million extension, Boston sent the develop superstar to Dallas, along with Rich Peverley and Ryan Button.
Photo Credit: SlidingSideways/ Flickr( CC)
Rumors of immaturity and unwarranted partying as well as a Seguin being virtual no-show during the 2013 playoffs( one purpose and eight objects in 22 activities) led the Bruins’ front office to the conclusion that it would be best to attempt to sell high on a seemingly flawed, albeit talented individual.
Since the trade, Seguin has composed at a point-per-game pace with the Adepts( 306 points in 305 activities ), originating three All-Star teams in four seasons. Still really 25 years old, it would appear that many more destinations and All-Star figures are in his future.
Ryan Button never prepared it to the NHL, and has invested the last three seasons playing professionally in Germany. Rich Peverley dallied simply 62 recreations with Dallas before a terrifying incident in which the ex-serviceman went into cardiac arrest on the team bench swiftly ceased his career.
Nevertheless, Dallas won the trade handily.
Loui Eriksson experienced two solid( and one excellent) seasons in Boston prior to leaving the team for Vancouver in free organization. Reilly Smith orchestrated 91 items in 163 games with the Bruins prior to being on the other side of a destructive trade, being swapped for Jimmy Hayes. Joe Morrow topped out as Boston’s seventh defenseman prior to the opening of his liberate this past June. Matt Fraser failed to develop into the kind of big-bodied, hard-shooting winger the team had envisioned; he was last seen playing professionally in Sweden.
Just four years after trading their develop starring, Boston retains zero of the parts acquired. Woof.
Bruins Buried by Avalanche
Bruins Acquire: Brian Rolston, Sami Pahlsson, Martin Grenier, First-Round Pick( Martin Samuelsson)
Avalanche Acquire: Ray Bourque, Dave Andreychuk
Before detailing just how bad this sell wound up being, there is a caveat that must be addressed: This trade was determined for Ray Bourque , not the Boston Bruins.
At 39 years old, the Cup-less legend was marooned on a bad Bruins team. Despite the team’s conflicts, both he and Andreychuk were enjoying strong seasons. Bourque could still anchor a top-pairing and Andreychuk had potted 19 purposes in 63 plays prior to the trade. With each of their contracts set to expire at season’s end, the two were carried to a legitimate hopeful in Colorado.
Ray Bourque( Photo by Denis Brodeur/ NHLI via Getty Images)
Though the two would fall to the Dallas Stars in an epic, seven-game Conference Final, Bourque would lastly hoist the Cup the following season before retiring.
” Do it for Ray” notwithstanding, the return for shipping out the team’s best actor as well as a ability scorer was completely unacceptable. In fact, it led to Sinden stepping down from his affix as GM after 28 years.
Over his four-plus seasons with the Bruins, Brian Rolston was a ability and versatile forward. He cross-file 236 objects in 338 activities and cured Boston make the playoffs three times in his four full seasons with the club.
Brian Rolston( Michael Tureski/ Icon SMI)
The rest of Colorado’s parcel of actors and picks, however, was a disaster.
Sami Pahlsson, Martin Grenier and the first-round pick acquired( Martin Samuelsson) COMBINED to play only 31 games for Boston. They combined to score three points.
As I’ve mentioned, this craft was for Ray’s sake, and he got his happy culminate. Regardless, the front office has a responsibility to maximize the return when jettisoning one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history. With Detroit and Dallas both striving with Colorado for league supremacy, Sinden could have started a veritable dictate combat. He did not, and the rest is history.
A “Jumbo” Mistake
Bruins Acquire: Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart, Wayne Primeau
Sharks Acquire: Joe Thornton
This trade was the definition of exchanging a quarter for two dimes and a nickel. Except the part was actually a silver dollar, and the nickels, upon further re-determination, have effectively Canadian currency.
Twenty-three plays into a three-year, $20 million extension, the Bruins sent their right participate to San Jose in return for three serviceable actors. Stuck at the bottom of the conference reputations, the Boston brass felt that Thornton was not the kind of a player/ president they are unable to build their crew around, and sought to shake things up. Sharks GM Doug Wilson was more than so pleased to see you both oblige.
Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks( Amy Irvin/ The Hockey Writers)
Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau each lasted approximately 100 sports with the Bruins before being traded to Calgary in return for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew. So, at least the Bruins prevailed a subsequent sell. Although, to be fair, I wouldn’t transactions Joe Thornton for the updated return either.
Marco Sturm enjoyed some success with the B’s, recording 193 parts in 302 recreations across parts of five seasons.
All Joe Thornton has done since the trade is register 937 stations in 914 activities; exclusively Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have more over that span. By the end of next season, Thornton could be as high as 15 th all-time in career times. He too owns the mark of being the only player in NHL history to be traded in the midst of a Hart Trophy campaign.
The Stanley Cup has eluded him to this point, causing a modicum of credence to the criticism which suggests he’s not” a winner .” Whether or not you made in accordance with that feeling is beside the point. If you’re going to trade your 26 -year-old franchise center, you’d better receive more than three role players.
HAB-itual Losing
Bruins Acquire: Guy Allen, Paul Reid
Canadiens Acquire: Ken Dryden, Alex Campbell
What do Guy Allen, Paul Reid and Alex Campbell have in common? Aside from being part of the same trade , not one of them played a single play in the NHL.
Ken Dryden, on the other hand, might resound a few buzzers.
Despite playing merely seven-plus seasons, Dryden won the Vezina Trophy five times. He won the Stanley Cup six periods. He recorded nearly as countless shutouts( 46) as he did loss( 57 ).
” The Four-Story Goalie” Ken Dryden( THW Image Library)
As incredibly impressive as those counts are, the stinging of trading him was exacerbated by how fully he dominated the team that drafted him, starting with the 1971 playoffs.
With time six competitions of NHL experience, Dryden got the call to start the playoffs versus arguably the best Bruins team ever assembled. Seven games last-minute it was Montreal and their 23 -year aged goaltender who were moving on. After the stunning loss, Bobby Orr had the following to say 😛 TAGEND
Dryden was better than we had ever dreamed.
-Bobby Orr( Wayne Coffey, NHL.com ), Jan. 1, 2017
Montreal would earn the Cup that year, with Dryden capturing the Conn Smythe.
In his eight postseasons with Montreal, Dryden faced off with the Bruins four times, including twice in the Final.
He acquired every time.
His personal accolades and success jointly with how often that success came at the expense of the Bruins make this the worst trade in Boston Bruins history.
* originally written in July 2017
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