BY DEREK CARSON – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
I love Trade Deadline Day. If I were running things, I’d make it a national holiday. Heck, if I were running things I’d also make unrestricted free agent day fall on the day after Canada Day so we could have back-to-back amazing holidays. But I am neither Gary Bettman nor Stephen Harper. I am just an ordinary man.
The trade deadline can be a lot of hurrying up to wait. So while we wait, check out this list of the top five best deadline deals made by American teams. Every single one of these deals helped their team win the Stanley Cup. If that’s not the standard of excellence, I don’t know what it is.
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5. Jeff Carter to the Los Angeles Kings (2012)
It seems like it was so long ago, but the L.A. Kings reunited Mike Richards with Jeff Carter just last year by trading Jack Johnson and their 2013 first round draft pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Carter.
Both he and Mike Richards were Philadelphia Flyers castaways, victims of a team with too high expectations and a media looking for anything bad to say about both of them.
Jeff Carter was a force in the playoffs last year, scoring eight goals and 13 points in 20 games. In fact, Carter scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in game six last year against the New Jersey Devils.
Now that’s a Deadline deal!
4. Larry Murphy to the Detroit Red Wings (1997)
This trade still haunts the dreams of Leaf fans. Larry Murphy was one of the best offensive defencemen of all time but he only played one full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his second year he was booed by the Leaf faithful for a lack of scoring. So the Leafs brass traded him to the Red Wings for future considerations.
Larry Murphy went on to win the Cup twice in a row with the Red Wings in 1997 and again in 1998. He led the Red Wings defencemen with 11 points in 20 playoff games in 1997 and notched 15 points in 22 playoff games in 1998, second only to Nicklas Lidstrom.
3. Rob Blake to the Colorado Avalanche (2001)
I know what you’re thinking: Rob Blake? Don’t you mean Ray Bourque?
Well folks, it’s not a misprint, I do indeed mean Rob Blake.
Ray Bourque was acquired by the Colorado Avalanche at the 2000 Deadline and while Bourque did his best that year, the Avs didn’t win the Cup; heck, they didn’t even make it to the Final. But in 2001, it was a whole different story.
At the 2001 deadline, Colorado got Rob Blake and Steve Reinprecht from the L.A. Kings for Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller, Jared Aulin and Colorado’s first round picks in 2001 and 2003. A hefty price to be sure, but how much is eternal glory worth to you?
Blake led all defencemen in playoff scoring that year with 19 points in 23 games. Not only did he win the Stanley Cup but he helped create one of the greatest moments in hockey when Ray Bourque was handed the Stanley Cup for the first and only time in his career by the great Joe Sakic.
2. Ron Francis to the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991)
Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr are the players people most remember from the Pittsburgh Penguin’s glory days of the early ’90s, and rightfully so. But at the 1991 deadline, the Penguins added key pieces to the puzzle in acquiring Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings from the Hartford Whalers for John Cullen, Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski.
While Lemieux eclipsed Francis in playoff scoring, Francis did fare better than Jagr with 17 points to Jagr’s 13 points in 1991 and 27 points to Jagr’s 24 points in 1992. In both of those years the Penguins won the Cup, creating legends out of Lemieux and Jagr.
Ron Francis: Hall of Famer, traded for at the deadline, won two Cups with the Penguins and ended up spending almost seven seasons with Pittsburgh, scoring 613 points in 533 regular season games along with 100 points in 97 playoff games.
1. Butch Goring to the New York Islanders (1980)
Generally regarded as the best deadline trade of all time, Butch Goring was acquired by the New York Islanders from the L.A. Kings for Billy Harris and Dave Lewis at the 1980 deadline.
Goring was a key player in creating the Islanders dynasty of the early ’80s. He scored 68 points in 98 playoff games, helping the Islanders win the Stanley Cup an incredible four-straight times in 1980, 81, 82, and 83. He won the Conn Smythe trophy ’81.
One of the greats.