I love trades. They’ve always been one of my favorite parts of being a sports fan. One-for-one trades? Perfect, I love the simplicity. Big multi-player blockbusters? Awesome, let’s blow up two teams at once and see what happens. Overly complicated trades that should be one-for-one but somehow morph into a long list of throw-ins and late-round picks? Beautiful, just because I can picture the increasingly ridiculous conversations between two stubborn GMs who have to get the last word.
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I love a good trade. Or a bad one. Or just a plausible rumor. Or let’s face it, a completely ridiculous rumor that falls apart as soon as you think about it for even a minute. I’ll take it all. Trades are the best. The more the merrier.
Which means the last decade has been pretty rough for people like me.
The trade is a dying art in the NHL. Where we used to get multiple blockbusters all year long, now we get excuses. The salary cap makes it too hard. It’s not the right time. We won’t make a trade just for the sake of making a trade. Hey, I’m only a general manager. What do you want me to do, my job?
So no, a list of the ten best trades of the 2010s doesn’t include any Wayne Gretzky-style deals that shake the foundation of the league. There was no Eric Lindros double-dealing. No Patrick Roy walkouts. Nothing like the mega-deals of decades past involving Doug Gilmour or Phil Esposito or Ted Lindsay. The days of the true blockbuster may be gone for good.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have some material to work with. Today, let’s count down the ten biggest trades of the 2010s. And just for fun, we’ll throw in a few mini-categories along the way. Trading may not be what it once was, but it still deserves a place in our look back at the decade. After all, just because a job is tough doesn’t mean you don’t have to do it. Unless you’re an NHL GM.
Big trade No. 10: Ilya Kovalchuk to the Devils
(Noah Graham/NHLI via Getty Images)
The trade: On Feb. 4, 2010, the Thrashers traded their all-time leading scorer along with Anssi Salmela and a second to the Devils for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, a first and a second.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: The Devils didn’t have to give up much to get a superstar, but can they get him signed?
Why the deal was made: Kovalchuk had been the face of the franchise in Atlanta. But with his contract coming to an end, he’d repeatedly turned down offers for an extension. Therefore, the Thrashers got what they could at the deadline rather than watch him walk for nothing.
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What’s happened since: None of the players the Thrashers got had much impact, although they used the first to get Dustin Byfuglien out of Chicago. One more disappointing season later, the team was headed to Winnipeg.
The Devils did get Kovalchuk signed, although it took most of the summer, $100 million, one rejected contract and the (temporary) loss of a first-round draft pick to make it happen. He had two 30-goal seasons in New Jersey, then stunned the hockey world by bolting for the KHL in 2013. He announced a comeback with the Kings in 2018, but I’ve been watching the highlights ever since and I guess he changed his mind.
The verdict today: Would it be overly dramatic to say that the decade’s first true blockbuster was the nail in the coffin of NHL hockey in Atlanta? Maybe, but we’ll say it anyway.
Big trade No. 9: Roberto Luongo to the Panthers
The trade: On March 4, 2014, the Canucks shook up the deadline by sending Roberto Luongo and Steven Anthony to Florida for Jacob Markstrom and Shawn Matthias.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: Wow, the Canucks actually managed to trade that contract.
Why the deal was made: Because Luongo’s contract sucked. Those were his words, not ours, although honestly, they were ours too and probably yours as well. His monster 12-year deal had already scuttled the team’s attempts to trade him in 2013 and ultimately led to Cory Schneider being shipped out instead. But when the Panthers came calling about re-acquiring the three-time Vezina finalist, the Canucks finally pulled the trigger, even though they didn’t seem to get much in return.
What’s happened since: Luongo experienced a bit of a renascence in Florida, posting four strong seasons before age and injury caught up to him. He retired in 2019, so the Panthers are off the hook for the rest of that sucky contract. Meanwhile, Markstrom has developed into a legitimate NHL starter, so the Canucks are happy with their side of the deal.
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The verdict today: This was a tough one for the Canucks, if only because trading away Luongo signaled the indisputable end of the era that saw the team almost win its first Stanley Cup. But it makes the list for a bigger reason, standing as one of the first blockbusters of the cap era that was almost entirely about a contract. Trades had always been influenced by finances, but this was one of the first times that we just outright talked about a contract being traded instead of a player – even though the player was a future Hall-of-Famer.
Interlude: Five trades that worked out for both teams
We’re told this is how trades are supposed to work. In a few cases in our top ten list, they actually did. Here’s five more worth mentioning.
5. February 9, 2011: The Ducks trade Jake Gardiner, Joffrey Lupul and a fourth to the Leafs for Francois Beauchemin. The rebuilding Leafs got a surprisingly productive forward and a future top-four blueliner, while the on-the-verge-of-contending Ducks got a veteran who’d be a second-team All-Star in 2013.
4. June 30, 2012: The Canucks trade Cory Schneider to the Devils for the ninth overall pick. The Devils got their starter; even with his struggles in recent years, he’s played more games in the Devils crease than anyone other than Martin Brodeur. The Canucks would have rather moved Luongo, but they used the pick on future captain Bo Horvat.
3. July 1, 2011: The Capitals trade Semyon Varlamov to the Avalanche for a first and a second. Varlamov was unproven, but developed into the second-best goalie in Avalanche franchise history. And the Caps turned the first-round pick into a certified star in Filip Forsberg. Uh, don’t ask what happened after that.
2. February 18, 2011: The Bruins trade Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart to the Thrashers for Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik. A classic case of a Cup contender trading futures for help right now. Wheeler became a star for the Thrashers/Jets and is easily the best player in the deal. But Peverley was a key piece of the Bruins’ Cup win, including a crucial two-goal effort in Game 4 of the final.
1. July 1, 2015: The Leafs trade Phil Kessel,Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and a second to Pittsburgh for Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, a first and a third. The Penguins got better, winning the next two Stanley Cups. The Leafs got a lot worse, just in time for the Auston Matthews lottery, and then eventually better, with Kapanen developing into a solid middle-six winger and the first being flipped for Frederik Andersen. Pretty much exactly the best-case scenarios that everyone was aiming for.
Big trade
No. 8: Brent Burns to the Sharks
(Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)
The trade: On June 24, 2011, the Sharks sent Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle and a first-round pick to the Wild for the 26-year-old Burns and a second.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: Wow, that’s a really nice deal by the Wild. (No, really.)
Why the deal was made: Through seven years in Minnesota, Burns had bounced between forward and defense while developing into an intriguing but inconsistent offensive threat. With the Wild missing the playoffs for a third straight year and Burns coming off a career-high 17-goal season, they cashed him in for a package of younger players and a high pick.
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The deal came as a surprise to Setoguchi, who’d just signed an extension with the Sharks, and more than a few fans (and experts) thought San Jose was overpaying. But as Doug Wilson explained it at the time, he made the deal believing that “Brent is an elite first-pairing defenceman that is just coming into his prime.”
What’s happened since: Wilson was right. Burns made the leap from intriguing possibility to one of the best defensem*n in the league, earning three postseason All-Star nods in nine years and counting in San Jose. He also won the Norris two years ago, becoming the only player since Chris Pronger in 2000 to earn the honor for a team he had been traded to.
Meanwhile, Coyle developed into a good player for the Wild, while Setoguchi struggled in two seasons in Minnesota and later fought through personal problems. The Wild spent the first-round pick on Zack Phillips, who never made the NHL.
The verdict today: If you try really hard, you could spin the deal as a win-win, but that’s a tough sell. Instead, it’s a reminder that you never really know what the future will hold, and which player in a trade will blossom into a borderline Hall-of-Fame candidate.
Big trade No. 7: Jeff Carter to the Blue Jackets
The trade: On June 23, 2011, the Flyers sent Jeff Carter to Columbus in exchange for Jakub Voracek and a first and third in that week’s draft. It was part of a wild day that also saw Philadelphia send Mike Richards to the Kings. Within hours, Paul Holmgren had cleared out the two young studs who we thought the team was going to be built around for the next decade.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: What the hell are the Flyers doing?
Why the deal was made: Well, about that. The Flyers had just signed Ilya Bryzgalov to a $51 million deal, so clearing cap room was a concern. There were also character questions floating around Carter and Richards – remember Dry Island? – and no-trade clauses about to kick in.
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What’s happened since: Carter was supposed to signal the Blue Jackets arriving as contenders, and to be the first-line center Rick Nash had never had. Instead, he was injured and miserable in Columbus, and lasted just a few months before the team shipped him to Los Angeles where he reunited with Richards and won two Stanley Cups.
As for the Flyers, they added a ton of young talent in one day; in addition to Voracek, they got Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn from L.A., and used that Columbus first-round pick on Sean Couturier.
The verdict today: The Bryzgalov signing was a monumental bust, maybe the worst in cap era history. But the two trades it helped spawn both look like wins for the Flyers, especially the Carter deal. We can play what-if with Bryzgalov (and we have), not to mention the Sergei Bobrovsky deal his signing forced a year later, but having Voracek and Couturier today still makes it all somehow seem worth it.
Big trade(s) No. 6: Everything the Golden Knights did before the expansion draft
The trades: Is this cheating? Yeah, it’s cheating. Sorry about that. But we need to recognize George McPhee’s wheeling and dealing in the spring of 2017 here, so we’re bundling up all ten pre-draft trades into one entry, including getting Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith from the Panthers, William Karlsson from the Blue Jackets and Alex Tuch from the Wild.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: Eh, whatever, none of those players are good and the Golden Knights will be terrible for years.
Why the deals were made: Because it turns out George McPhee is smarter than pretty much everyone.
What’s happened since: Oh, just the Knights immediately becoming the most successful expansion franchise in pro sports history, largely powered by the players they acquired in those pre-draft trades.
The verdict today: Even a few years later, it’s hard to comprehend exactly what McPhee pulled off in the days leading up to the expansion draft. And part of that is that we have to acknowledge that none of us understood what we’d seen at the time. I sure didn’t. In the aftermath of all these moves, I applauded McPhee for his creativity but declared his roster “not good.” I even argued that maybe that was for the best, since it would be better for the Knights to get a high pick than chase the playoffs, and now they would. Whoops. I’m dumb, never listen to me.
Beyond the Knights’ instant success, here’s one more enduring legacy of these deals: They’re really going to screw things up for the new Seattle team when every other NHL team is too scared of a McPhee-style repeat and refuses to make any kind of deal with Ron Francis.
Interlude: Five big trades that took place during the draft
Once teams are on the floor and the draft actually starts, you never know when a deal will get done, or which seemingly innocuous picks will turn out to be important.
5. June 24, 2011: The Ducks trade the No. 22 pick to the Leafs for No. 30 and No. 39. The Leafs just had to have Tyler Biggs, who still hasn’t made the NHL. The Ducks ended up using their picks on two guys who did: Rickard Rakell and John Gibson.
4. June 30, 2013: The Red Wings trade the No. 18 pick to San Jose for No. 20 and No. 58. The Sharks moved up two spots and got a decent player in Mirco Mueller. But the Wings got a big chunk of the core of their current rebuild, using the two picks on Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi.
3. June 26, 2015: The Oilers trade the No. 16 and No. 33 to the Islanders for Griffin Reinhart. Riding the high of having picked Connor McDavid with the first overall choice, the Oilers traded their next two picks for defensive help. Reinhart wasn’t good. Mathew Barzal, who the Islanders chose with No. 16, was and probably will be for another decade or two.
2. June 28, 2014: The Wild trade No. 79 to the Lightning for No. 80 and a 2015 seventh. This is one of the strangest draft floor trades ever, as Tampa gives up virtually nothing to move up just one single slot in the third round. Who even cares, right? Steve Yzerman did, and I guess he knew what he was doing; he used the No. 79 on Brayden Point.
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1. June 25, 2010: The Senators trade the No. 16 pick to St. Louis for David Rundblad. There was a time when Rundblad was hyped as the best prospect outside of the NHL, so you can see why the Senators jumped at the chance to get him. He never panned out, and the Blues were probably OK with the kid they used Ottawa’s pick on instead, Vladimir Tarasenko.
Big trade No. 5: Tyler Seguin to the Stars
(Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images)
The trade: On July 4, 2013, the Bruins pulled off a seven-player trade that sent Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button to Dallas for Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: Um … why?
Why the deal was made: We could speculate as to why the Bruins would trade away a young star just entering his prime. Maybe they were concerned about off-ice issues. Maybe they were overreacting to their loss in the 2013 final. Maybe they just thought he was overrated, even a year removed from a 67-point season.
Luckily, we don’t have to speculate, because the Bruins told us. Or to be more specific, they filmed their front office discussing the move and then showed it to everyone.
We know what they thought: He won’t pay the price. He’s not a physical player. Does he fit with our culture? Those are all direct quotes, by the way. And again, we know this because the Bruins filmed their own front office and then showed it to us. It was weird.
What’s happened since: As most of us expected, Seguin developed into an elite offensive player, putting up 84 points in his first year in Dallas and at least 70 in every season since. Eriksson was fine in Boston, peaking with a 30-goal season the year before he left as a free agent.
The verdict today: Bruins fans would point out that the team hasn’t exactly suffered without Seguin, up to and including a trip back to the final last spring, while the Stars haven’t been out of the second round. That’s fair, but on paper this was still a big win for Dallas. And maybe, just maybe, a cautionary tale of teams talking themselves into moves they don’t have to make.
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Big trade No. 4: Ryan O’Reilly to the Blues
The trade: On July 1, 2018, the Sabres sent O’Reilly to the Blues for a package of Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, Tage Thompson, a 2019 first and a 2021 second.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: The Blues got the best player; the Sabres got a bunch of question marks but maybe didn’t have much choice.
Why the deal was made: O’Reilly hadn’t come out and asked for a trade, at least not publicly. But after some puzzling comments in the immediate aftermath of another lost season, it seemed inevitable that he’d be dealt – you never want to build your team around a guy who’s talking about losing his love of the game and being OK with losing. So the Sabres took what they could get, which turned out to be not all that much.
What’s happened since: The trade hasn’t held up well from the Sabres’ perspective; Berglund lasted just 23 games, Sobotka’s production evaporated and Thompson remains a solid prospect who hasn’t made it happen at the NHL level. As for the Blues, well, you could say it worked out OK. O’Reilly had the best season of his career in St. Louis, earning a Selke and the Conn Smythe to go with the franchise’s first Cup.
The verdict today: Sometimes, it really does make sense to give up a handful of nickels and dimes to acquire a crisp dollar bill.
Big trade No. 3: Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson
The trade: On June 29, 2016, the Oilers traded Taylor Hall to the Devils for Adam Larsson.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: The trade is one-for-one? (It was.)
Why the deal was made: From the Oilers’ perspective, they had a surplus of young forwards and needed to add talent to the blue line. With pressure mounting after a decade of missing the playoffs, the team made the difficult decision to part with a coveted asset in order to acquire a player who would immediately address a more pressing need.
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From the Devils perspective, the deal was made because Hall is like a million times better at hockey than Larsson.
What’s happened since: The Oilers made the playoffs in 2017, and there was some talk that the critics had been wrong and Edmonton had actually won the trade. Then Hall was named MVP in 2018, and that talk ended.
The verdict today: This remains one of the most analyzed and dissected trades of the modern era, but it’s fair to say it hasn’t worked out for Oilers. (At least until they re-sign Hall next summer.)
Interlude: The five worst trades of the decade
Lots of trades are bad for one team, like Hall-for-Larsson. These trades were bad for everyone and anyone involved in them should feel shame.
5. February 23, 2018: The Senators trade Derick Brassard to the Penguins in a three-way deal involving the Golden Knights. Do you realize how convoluted a trade has to be for the NHL to have to step in, smack everyone upside of the head, and make them start over?
4. March 5, 2014: The Predators trade Devan Dubnyk to the Canadiens for future considerations. If you don’t remember Dubnyk in Nashville, it’s because he played two games there. If you don’t remember him in Montreal, it’s because after this trade Dubnyk was like “Actually I’d rather not” and the Habs were like “Sure that’s fine too” and he just went home and nobody really noticed because his NHL career was probably over. One year later, he was in Minnesota and a Vezina finalist, because goaltending is voodoo.
3. February 27, 2016: The Sabres trade Jason Akeson, Phil Varone and Jerome Leduc to the Senators for Alex Guptill, Cole Schneider, Eric O’Dell and Michael Sdao. It’s a seven-player trade and I have never heard of literally one single person involved. I’m pretty sure at least a few of these names are completely made up. I don’t care what the record books say, this is not a real trade.
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2. January 15, 2016: The Coyotes trade John Scott and Victor Bartley to Montreal for Jarred Tinordi and Stefan Fournier. This was the deal that buried Scott in the minors right before he was supposed to play in the 2016 All-Star game, launching a thousand conspiracy theories, several of which were probably accurate. But at least the Coyotes landed a guy who was about to be suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.
1. March 1, 2017: The Avalanche trade Jarome Iginla to the Kings a conditional draft pick. A beloved veteran chasing his first Stanley Cup in the final year of his career. A rebuilding team looking to move him for future assets. The stage was set for this decade’s Ray Bourque deal, and it even involved one of the same teams. Instead, we got a trade that sent the veteran star from a team that was going to miss the playoffs to a team that … missed the playoffs. For a conditional pick which wasn’t triggered. Yes, 600-goal legend Jarome Iginla’s final shot at a Cup saw him traded at the deadline for literally nothing.
Big trade No. 2: Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen
(Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The trade: On Jan. 6, 2016, the Blue Jackets sent 23-year-old Ryan Johansen to the Predators for 21-year-old Seth Jones.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: A classic one-for-one deal where it felt like both teams were getting exactly what they needed.
Why the deal was made: The Predators were stacked on the blue line but didn’t have a first-line center, either on the roster or on the way through the system. So they flipped Jones to Columbus for Johansen, a two-way force coming off of a tough contract negotiation with the Blue Jackets and who had his conditioning questioned by John Tortorella.
What’s happened since: First, and probably most importantly, Jones and Johansen ran into each other at the airport after the trade, which was awesome. Beyond that, Jones has developed into a Norris candidate in Columbus, while Johansen has settled in as a consistent 60-point pivot who still centers the Preds top line.
The verdict today: If you were drafting a team from scratch right now, you’d take Jones over Johansen and probably wouldn’t have to think too hard about it. But given the Predators’ assortment of riches on the back end at the time, it’s hard to argue that they didn’t improve with the deal. It seemed like a win-win at the time, and it feels like even more of one today. As far as two teams getting together and making a simple trade that made perfect sense for both sides, this remains the cap era’s gold standard.
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Big trade No. 1: Subban for Weber
The trade: On June 29, 2016, the Canadiens traded P.K. Subban to the Predators for Shea Weber.
The immediate reaction in one sentence: Wow, I still can’t believe the Oilers traded Hall for Larsson, it will be years before we see another trade as crazy as (checks Twitter) OH MY GOD WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?
Why the deal was made: Weber was a beloved franchise player in Nashville, but his offer sheer-fueled contract seemed like it could weigh on the team’s bottom line for years to come. Subban had won a Norris in Montreal but had a big contract of his own and rubbed some of the team’s decision-makers the wrong way. With Subban’s no-trade clause days away from kicking in, the two teams got together and pulled off a one-for-one blockbuster.
What’s happened since: It’s probably fair to say that this trade stands as the most divisive in modern NHL history – people lost jobs over it – and to this day a clear winner hasn’t really emerged.
Early on, Weber and the Habs looked unbeatable, and Montreal fans and media rushed to declare victory. Then Subban helped lead the Predators to the 2017 Cup final, and the scales tilted heavily towards Nashville. In 2017-18, Weber was hurt and the Habs missed the playoffs while Subban was a Norris finalist and the Predators won the Presidents’ Trophy, and it was clear that Nashville had won the deal. Then Subban’s play slipped the following year and he was flipped to the Devils for draft picks while Weber was named Montreal’s captain and remains a franchise pillar. But that contract still has seven more years to run …
The verdict today: We’re still not sure, and it feels like we’ll be continuing the debate for years to come. That’s the beauty of this deal. And it’s why it’s an easy call for the biggest NHL trade of the decade.
(Top photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
