Cliff Fletcher famously once quipped, “Draft, Shmaft.”
Sure, back in his day, draft picks may have been undervalued, but trading away futures always carries a certain risk. And sometimes, it has huge ramifications for a team.
Check out these 10 regrettable trade deadline deals
The Toronto Maple Leafs gave up the pick that turned out to be Scott Niedermayer and many other teams have made similar mistakes. But it’s not just first-round picks that can come back to bite a team.
We looked at the history of trades made on deadline day and specifically at post-first-round draft picks that were moved we all thought were minor throw-ins at the time, but which turned into something special.
Oilers get Sergei Samsonov, Bruins get Milan Lucic (2006): In the short term, this deal worked out great for the Oilers. Samsonov scored 16 points in 19 games before adding 15 points in 24 playoff games en route to Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup final in 2006. But it was short-lived. Samsonov left Edmonton as a free agent and joined the Montreal Canadiens that summer, while the Bruins got a long-term pay off.
For Samsonov, Boston received Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a second-round draft pick in 2006. That pick became Milan Lucic. Pretty good return for an expiring contract.
Islanders get Alexander Karpovtsev, Blackhawks get Niklas Hjalmarsson (2004): The Islanders needed defensive depth to bolster their playoff chances so they acquired the veteran Russian on deadline day. The Islanders finished the regular season as the eighth seed, but it had little to do with Karpovtsev. He played just three games, averaging a little more than 10 minutes of ice time per game.
In that trade, the Blackhawks received a fourth-round pick for the following season’s draft (2005). With the pick, Chicago drafted two-time Stanley Cup winner Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Maple Leafs get Aki Berg, Kings get Mike Cammalleri (2001): Maybe Pat Quinn thought he could rejuvenate the career of the third overall pick from the 1995 NHL draft. Aki Berg did play five years on Toronto’s defence, but he hardly made an impact. By the end of his tenure, Berg had become more of a punchline than a valuable contributor. And the Leafs ended up paying a steep price to get him.
The Kings were able to land forward Adam Mair plus a second-round draft pick in exchange for Berg. The Kings used that pick to draft Mike Cammalleri.
Penguins get Nolan Schaefer, Sharks get Justin Braun (2007): If you were unaware of Nolan Schaefer’s existence before reading this article, you’re not alone. Schaefer played just seven games with the San Jose Sharks before he was dealt to Pittsburgh on deadline day 2007, and never played in the NHL again.
The Sharks only got a seventh-round pick in exchange for the AHL depth player, but they sure made it count. San Jose used that seventh-rounder to select defenceman Justin Braun, who has become a staple on their blueline. That’s what you call a steal.
Flames get Jason Wiemer, Lightning get Brad Richards (1998): Wiemer never lived up to the expectations an eighth overall pick has, so the Lightning shipped him off to Calgary at the 1998 deadline for what didn’t seem like very much. Wiemer played four years in Calgary after the trade – averaging about 10 goals per season – but the Lightning got the last laugh for multiple reasons.
In exchange for Wiemer, Tampa Bay landed Sandy McCarthy and third and fifth round picks in the 1998 NHL draft. A modest return on the surface, but that third round pick became Brad Richards, who oddly enough was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner when Calgary lost to Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup final. Ouch.
Panthers get Mike Wilson, Sabres get Ryan Miller (1999): The Florida Panthers were in need of an upgrade on the blueline, so at the 1999 trade deadline, they gave up Rhett Warrener and a measly fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for 25-year-old Mike Wilson.
Wilson, the 20th overall pick in the 1993 draft, scored 20 points in 60 games the following year, while Warrener played parts of five seasons with the Sabres. But the kicker came later. Buffalo used that toss-in fifth-round pick to draft Ryan Miller, arguably the franchise’s best player since Dominik Hasek. Mike Wilson for Ryan Miller. Think about that.
Red Wings get Jamie Macoun, Maple Leafs get Alexei Ponikarovsky (1998): This one sort of worked out for both teams. Macoun was approaching the end of his career, but still played 22 playoff games for the Stanley Cup-winning Red Wings team in 1998 after he was acquired from Toronto at the deadline. The Leafs were out of the playoffs that year, but actually did well with the fourth-round pick they acquired for the defenseman.
The Leafs turned Macoun into Alexei Ponikarovsky. Yes, Ponikarovsky wasn’t a true impact player like most of the others on this list, but he was a productive player for Toronto through parts of seven seasons. A lot of his success might’ve been a product of playing with Hall of Fame centre Mats Sundin, but Ponikarovsky still scored 18 or more goals for five straight seasons. That’s pretty good value from a fourth-round pick.
