In honor of the recent trade deadline, I wanted to post some of the best and worst trades in Penguins history. I think the Goligoski for Neal and Niskanen will prove to one day be a member of the BEST CATEGORY, but it is too early to be inluded here. So here they go:
BEST TRADES-
March 4, 1991-
C John Cullen, LW Jeff Parker, D Zarley Zalapski to Hartford for C Ron Francis, D Grant Jennings, and D Ulf Samuelsson. Known in Pittsburgh as THE TRADE, Craig Patrick put together the last pieces of the lineup that won two consecutive Stanley Cups and a President's Trophy in the next three years. Jennings was a solid stay at home defenseman, while Ulfie became the backbone of a suddenly rugged defense, and the anchor for years to come. Ron Francis gave the Penguins the best one-two punch I can recall at center ice bar none.
September 9. 1983-
With very little fanfare the Penguins traded LW Anders Hakansson (who the fuck is that?) to Los Angeles for a brand new High School graduate. Over the coming years, Kevin Stevens or "Artie" or "The RT Express" established himself as the best power forward in the NHL, posting huge numbers, and adding more toughness to the Penguins. Stevens scored 54 goals and 123 points in 1991-92, and 55 goals in 1992-93. Stevens is sixth in scoring all-time for the Penguins with 555 points. All of that for Anders ??.
November 24, 1987-
Centers Dave Hannan and Craig Simpson, plus defensemen Chris Joseph and Moe Mantha to Edmonton for D Paul Coffey, and left wings Dave Hunter and Wayne Van Dorp. Adding the star power of Coffey to Lemieux instantly gave the Penguins the core group to go from lovable losers to legitimate Cup contenders.
November 12, 1988-
D Doug Bodger and LW Darrin Shannon to Buffalo for G Tom Barrasso and a 3rd round choice in the 1990 Entry Draft. Despite being a bonafide bonesmoking jackoff, Tom Barrasso was the first true stud between the pipes for the Penguins in my lifetime. Added to the Lemiuex and Coffey core, a true stopper in the net set the stage for the Penguins rise to power in the late '80's and '90's.
February 19, 1992-
D Brian Benning, RW Marck Recchi, and a 1st round pick in the 1992 Entry Draft to Philadelphia for D Kjell Samaulsson, RW Rick Tocchet, G Ken Wregget, nad a conditional 3rd draft choice in the 1993 NHL entry draft. Giving up Recchi in his prime was not easy, but they added a very solid backup goaltender in Ken Wregget, another big tough shutdown defenseman in Samuelsson, and bad ass RW Tocchet, who not only gave the Penguins even more scoring, and legitimate first class toughness, but he legitimized my first man crush as an adult. I could now come out of the closet and profess my love for #22 as he was no longer a hated Flyer! After two boyhood crushes on Mean Joe Greene and Jack Splat Lambert, my first MAN CRUSH! Not to mention the components to put the second Cup in the bag!
December 11,1990
Defesnemen Chris Dahlquist and Jim Johnson ot Minnsesota for defensemen Larry Murphy and Peter Taglianetti. A very underrated trade in Penguins history. Larry Murphy was one of the best offensive defensemen to ever play for the Penguins. He was highly underrated, and his intelligent playmaking and skating often controlled the flow of a hockey game. Taglianetti was a very physical stay at home defenseman who along with Ulfie gave the Pens a couple of bangers on the blue line. Despite losing two solid players, two more cornerstones to the Cup teams of the '90s were added.
June 16,1990-
Craig Patrick sent a second round choice in the 1990 Entry Draft to Calgary for RW Joe Mullen. Craig Patrick stole then 33 year old winger Mullen from Calgary as they thought he was washed up. Well Mulled scored 153 goals for Pittsurgh and was a big part of two Stanley Cup Championship teams. Not a bad return for a 2nd round pick. Those trade complete the best trades that added up to the first two Cup teams. Now for some that made the most recent Cup Winner and Stanley Cup Finalist team.
February 26, 2008-
Ray Shero sent popular winger Colby Armstrong, shootout specialist Erik Christensen, top prospect Angelo Esposito and their 2008 first round draft choice to Atlanta in return for star winger Marian Hossa and RW Pascal Dupuis. Some don't agree with this trade as the Penguins gave up a lot of assets for Hossa, a player who turned out to be a rental, leaving in July as a free agent to Detroit. In my view it was a huge win for Pittsburgh. First off, Armstrong, though a nice player is a third liner, the kind of guy the Penguins had many of in their system, Christensen is another in the same mold. Esposito is still in the minors, and they did add a 1st rounder, which is big. But the Penguins rode Marian Hossa and the Crosby line all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals that season. I dont think the Penguins hoist the silver chalice in 2009 without the experience and lessons learned in the 2008 run. They don't make that run without Hossa. Add to that the fact that Pascal Dupuis has been a solid offensive contributor, tremendous penalty killer and all around versatile contributor to the Penguins and still is. So, I will go against the grain, and call this one of the better Penguins trades despite the fact that Hossa left after the post season based on the fact that it was a key factor in pushing the Penguins to two straight Finals, and a Stanley Cup.
February 27, 2009-
The Penguins traded up and coming D Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for winger Chris Kunitz and power forward prospect Eric Tangradi. On the date of the trade, the Penguins were in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, and in dire need of wingers for their top line. Whitney was a highly regarded puck moving defenseman, but he did not really work out in Anaheim. Meanwhile Kunitz, despite not filling the net with pucks was an ideal fit on Crosby's wing. His nasty forechecking and puck retrieval skills helped give Crosby more room and more opportunity to put the puck in the net, and he sure has done that. I dont think it is a coincidence that Crosby's two best goal scoring years have been with Coon on his wing. Oh yeah, and they went from 10th to the Cup! Tangradi's devlopment if it would end up with him as a productive forward on next year's Pens team would make this a true steal.
March 4, 2009
The Penguins trade a conditional 5th round pick to the New York Islanders in return for veteran winger Bill Guerin. The pick would become a 3rd rounder if the Penguins won a playoff series and if Guerin played in 50% of the games. Crosby now had to wingers to complement his game, and the Penguins not only gained valuable scoring punch up front, they gained a leader who was big in the locker room and on the ice during the Penguins march to the Cup in 2009. His calm perspective may have made the difference in two series where the Penguins erased 0-2 deficits to come back and win those series. In his two years as a Penguin Big Bad Billy G. left an indullable mark on the organization and become the final piece of the puzzle in the quest to regain the Cup.
BEST TRADES-
March 4, 1991-
C John Cullen, LW Jeff Parker, D Zarley Zalapski to Hartford for C Ron Francis, D Grant Jennings, and D Ulf Samuelsson. Known in Pittsburgh as THE TRADE, Craig Patrick put together the last pieces of the lineup that won two consecutive Stanley Cups and a President's Trophy in the next three years. Jennings was a solid stay at home defenseman, while Ulfie became the backbone of a suddenly rugged defense, and the anchor for years to come. Ron Francis gave the Penguins the best one-two punch I can recall at center ice bar none.
September 9. 1983-
With very little fanfare the Penguins traded LW Anders Hakansson (who the fuck is that?) to Los Angeles for a brand new High School graduate. Over the coming years, Kevin Stevens or "Artie" or "The RT Express" established himself as the best power forward in the NHL, posting huge numbers, and adding more toughness to the Penguins. Stevens scored 54 goals and 123 points in 1991-92, and 55 goals in 1992-93. Stevens is sixth in scoring all-time for the Penguins with 555 points. All of that for Anders ??.
November 24, 1987-
Centers Dave Hannan and Craig Simpson, plus defensemen Chris Joseph and Moe Mantha to Edmonton for D Paul Coffey, and left wings Dave Hunter and Wayne Van Dorp. Adding the star power of Coffey to Lemieux instantly gave the Penguins the core group to go from lovable losers to legitimate Cup contenders.
November 12, 1988-
D Doug Bodger and LW Darrin Shannon to Buffalo for G Tom Barrasso and a 3rd round choice in the 1990 Entry Draft. Despite being a bonafide bonesmoking jackoff, Tom Barrasso was the first true stud between the pipes for the Penguins in my lifetime. Added to the Lemiuex and Coffey core, a true stopper in the net set the stage for the Penguins rise to power in the late '80's and '90's.
February 19, 1992-
D Brian Benning, RW Marck Recchi, and a 1st round pick in the 1992 Entry Draft to Philadelphia for D Kjell Samaulsson, RW Rick Tocchet, G Ken Wregget, nad a conditional 3rd draft choice in the 1993 NHL entry draft. Giving up Recchi in his prime was not easy, but they added a very solid backup goaltender in Ken Wregget, another big tough shutdown defenseman in Samuelsson, and bad ass RW Tocchet, who not only gave the Penguins even more scoring, and legitimate first class toughness, but he legitimized my first man crush as an adult. I could now come out of the closet and profess my love for #22 as he was no longer a hated Flyer! After two boyhood crushes on Mean Joe Greene and Jack Splat Lambert, my first MAN CRUSH! Not to mention the components to put the second Cup in the bag!
December 11,1990
Defesnemen Chris Dahlquist and Jim Johnson ot Minnsesota for defensemen Larry Murphy and Peter Taglianetti. A very underrated trade in Penguins history. Larry Murphy was one of the best offensive defensemen to ever play for the Penguins. He was highly underrated, and his intelligent playmaking and skating often controlled the flow of a hockey game. Taglianetti was a very physical stay at home defenseman who along with Ulfie gave the Pens a couple of bangers on the blue line. Despite losing two solid players, two more cornerstones to the Cup teams of the '90s were added.
June 16,1990-
Craig Patrick sent a second round choice in the 1990 Entry Draft to Calgary for RW Joe Mullen. Craig Patrick stole then 33 year old winger Mullen from Calgary as they thought he was washed up. Well Mulled scored 153 goals for Pittsurgh and was a big part of two Stanley Cup Championship teams. Not a bad return for a 2nd round pick. Those trade complete the best trades that added up to the first two Cup teams. Now for some that made the most recent Cup Winner and Stanley Cup Finalist team.
February 26, 2008-
Ray Shero sent popular winger Colby Armstrong, shootout specialist Erik Christensen, top prospect Angelo Esposito and their 2008 first round draft choice to Atlanta in return for star winger Marian Hossa and RW Pascal Dupuis. Some don't agree with this trade as the Penguins gave up a lot of assets for Hossa, a player who turned out to be a rental, leaving in July as a free agent to Detroit. In my view it was a huge win for Pittsburgh. First off, Armstrong, though a nice player is a third liner, the kind of guy the Penguins had many of in their system, Christensen is another in the same mold. Esposito is still in the minors, and they did add a 1st rounder, which is big. But the Penguins rode Marian Hossa and the Crosby line all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals that season. I dont think the Penguins hoist the silver chalice in 2009 without the experience and lessons learned in the 2008 run. They don't make that run without Hossa. Add to that the fact that Pascal Dupuis has been a solid offensive contributor, tremendous penalty killer and all around versatile contributor to the Penguins and still is. So, I will go against the grain, and call this one of the better Penguins trades despite the fact that Hossa left after the post season based on the fact that it was a key factor in pushing the Penguins to two straight Finals, and a Stanley Cup.
February 27, 2009-
The Penguins traded up and coming D Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for winger Chris Kunitz and power forward prospect Eric Tangradi. On the date of the trade, the Penguins were in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, and in dire need of wingers for their top line. Whitney was a highly regarded puck moving defenseman, but he did not really work out in Anaheim. Meanwhile Kunitz, despite not filling the net with pucks was an ideal fit on Crosby's wing. His nasty forechecking and puck retrieval skills helped give Crosby more room and more opportunity to put the puck in the net, and he sure has done that. I dont think it is a coincidence that Crosby's two best goal scoring years have been with Coon on his wing. Oh yeah, and they went from 10th to the Cup! Tangradi's devlopment if it would end up with him as a productive forward on next year's Pens team would make this a true steal.
March 4, 2009
The Penguins trade a conditional 5th round pick to the New York Islanders in return for veteran winger Bill Guerin. The pick would become a 3rd rounder if the Penguins won a playoff series and if Guerin played in 50% of the games. Crosby now had to wingers to complement his game, and the Penguins not only gained valuable scoring punch up front, they gained a leader who was big in the locker room and on the ice during the Penguins march to the Cup in 2009. His calm perspective may have made the difference in two series where the Penguins erased 0-2 deficits to come back and win those series. In his two years as a Penguin Big Bad Billy G. left an indullable mark on the organization and become the final piece of the puzzle in the quest to regain the Cup.
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