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Worst Rangers trade of all time

True Blue

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Feb 27, 2002
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This came up briefly in another thread and I thought that it would make for a fun discussion. Off course, fun in the sense that to be a Rangers fan means being slightly masochistic.

So what were they? Naturally trading Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge comes to mind. Jean Ratelle & Brad Park in the Esposito trade.

Trading away Bob Kelly was not the worst, but he came back to torture his own team.

There are lots of bad ones. The one that I will list is not the most egregious, but just absolutely haunted me as a Rangers fan for the better part of a decade. Bob Crawford, Kelly Miller & Mike Ridley for Bobby Carpenter & a 2nd. Miller and Ridley would become mainstays on the Caps and made me cringe each time they tool to the ice.
 
Trading away a productive 25 year old Zubov pissed me off. He and Nedved were traded to Pitt for Ulf frickin' Samuelson :shakehead and Luc Robitaille. Zubov had 89 points our Cup year and 36 pts in 38 games the following year...then we traded him. Luc couldn't even match Zubov's offensive production. I understand unloading Nedved...that was fine....but Zubov? Broke my heart.
 
Unfortunately I couldn't watch these guys play due to my age but if I'm reading these numbers right (thank you Hockey-Reference) the only thing keeping Brad Park from winning the Norris trophy every year was arguably the greatest player in the history of the league lol.

What was the rationale behind moving him and Ratelle for Espo? It looks like Jean produced very effectively even at the end of his career.
 
True Blue said:
There are lots of bad ones. The one that I will list is not the most egregious, but just absolutely haunted me as a Rangers fan for the better part of a decade. Bob Crawford, Kelly Miller & Mike Ridley for Bobby Carpenter & a 2nd. Miller and Ridley would become mainstays on the Caps and made me cringe each time they tool to the ice.
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That's the one that still bothers me too.
 
Not the worst, but underrated bad trade was giving up Mike Knuble for Rob DiMaio.

Knuble was the type of player we seemingly ALWAYS lack. DiMaio did nothing.
 
Bob Richards said:
Unfortunately I couldn't watch these guys play due to my age but if I'm reading these numbers right (thank you Hockey-Reference) the only thing keeping Brad Park from winning the Norris trophy every year was arguably the greatest player in the history of the league lol.
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The Middleton trade was not only one of the worst Rangers trades of all time, but one of the worst trades in the history of the NHL. Just to put some context to it.
What was the rationale behind moving him and Ratelle for Espo? It looks like Jean produced very effectively even at the end of his career.
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The same thing that managed to grab hold of other Ranger GMs.....the big glitzy name goal scorer. They thought to try to change the culture of the locker room.
 
GAGLine said:
That's the one that still bothers me too.
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Those two went on to essentially personify those cap teams for a decade plus. And again, just like with Espo, trade for the big, glitzy name and have the home run swing land on the warning track.

Actually the Espo ball landed on the warning track. The Carpenter one was in infield fly rule.
 
In recent memory, maybe the Nash deal, maybe the St. Louis deal

Callahan, 2014 1st, 2015 1st for St. Louis (one 1 and 1/2 years, of being average)

basically Anisimov, Dubinsky, 2013 1st for Nash(overpaid)
 
A lot of these are somewhat subjective because in many cases we got good talent back or achieved a desired result.

Before my time, but the Brad Park and Middleton deals have to be at the top of the list.

In recent memory, I wasn't crazy about the Callahan deal.

Can't say I was thrilled about the Yandle trade (but I didn't hate it).

The Zubov deal hurt mainly because of the ages of the guys involved, but it wasn't necessarily a bad trade per say.

Same with Weight for Tik.

The Savard trade turned out to be a disaster.

Personally I never liked the Amonte or Gartner trades.

The Ridley trade sucked.

Trading a first round pick for coach Michel Bergeron was bad. The picked ended up the fifth pick in the 1988 draft. Players on the board included Roenick, Brindamour, and Selanne. Of course one has to convince themself that the Rangers wouldn't have screwed it up anyway by picking Chris Govedaris. But it's at least a little fun to imagine an early 90s Rangers team with Roenick and Amonte (which says nothing about the talent the Rangers DID have or acquired).
 
East Coast Bias said:
Not the worst, but underrated bad trade was giving up Mike Knuble for Rob DiMaio.

Knuble was the type of player we seemingly ALWAYS lack. DiMaio did nothing.
Click to expand...

Knuble was a hard case for anyone to predict.

He finally got it around the age of 30, on his third team (and even then it took almost two and a half years).
 
NYRangers3061 said:
In recent memory, maybe the Nash deal, maybe the St. Louis deal

Callahan, 2014 1st, 2015 1st for St. Louis (one 1 and 1/2 years, of being average)

basically Anisimov, Dubinsky, 2013 1st for Nash(overpaid)
Click to expand...

The worst trade was for the guy who has lead the team in goal scoring every year he's been on the team and is first in the NHL in even strength goals per 60 since he's been acquired? You've got some high standards.

I can't really think of any exceedingly awful ones in the last ten years or so.
 
Hated Mattias Norstrom, Nathan LaFayette, Ian Laperrière, Ray Ferraro and 1997 4th Round Pick to LA for Jari Kurri, Marty McSorely and Shane Churla

Hated the Mike Gartner for Glenn Anderson trade.

Hated Eddie Mio, Ron Duguay and Eddie Johnstone for Mike Blaisdell, Willie Huber and Mark Osborne

Hated the Lindros trade because I felt it was just delaying the inevitable—having to rebuild.
 
SA16 said:
The worst trade was for the guy who has lead the team in goal scoring every year he's been on the team and is first in the NHL in even strength goals per 60 since he's been acquired? You've got some high standards.

I can't really think of any exceedingly awful ones in the last ten years or so.
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Yeah, the guy who makes nearly $8 million per year, is declining, very streaky, and doesn't score in the playoffs. The guy who we gave up Dubinsky (a guy who plays a physical style of hockey and does it well, and can score) and Anisimov (a good 3C) plus picks for.

Not the worst, and I agree with your last sentence, so that's why this one (while not terrible), is one of the worst recently
 
SingnBluesOnBroadway said:
Hated Mattias Norstrom, Nathan LaFayette, Ian Laperrière, Ray Ferraro and 1997 4th Round Pick to LA for Jari Kurri, Marty McSorely and Shane Churla
Click to expand...

Forgot about that one. Though, in hindsight, Norstrom was the one that hurt.

I remember when I couldn't wait for him and Joby Messier to join the blue line.
 
Edge said:
Trading a first round pick for coach Michel Bergeron was bad. The picked ended up the fifth pick in the 1988 draft.
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Oh, forgot about that gem. I HATED that trade.

Did not love the Amonte trade, though the Cup did arrive.

Another little gem was the Kurri, McSorley trade. Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri and Shane Churla for Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Nathan LaFayette & Mattias Norstrom.


Lapperiere wound up being a very good 3rd line center and the Rangers could have used Norstrom on their backline for the next decade.
 
True Blue said:
Oh, forgot about that gem. I HATED that trade.

Did not love the Amonte trade, though the Cup did arrive.

Another little gem was the Kurri, McSorley trade. Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri and Shane Churla for Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperriere, Nathan LaFayette & Mattias Norstrom.


Lapperiere wound up being a very good 3rd line center and the Rangers could have used Norstrom on their backline for the next decade.
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Some of the trades are double-edged swords - the Amonte and Weight trades being prime examples. The Rangers win the Cup and the moves are acceptable. If they don't, win the cup - I'm not sure I even want to imagine the backlash.

I remember hating the Corey Hirsch trade, though that turned out to be nothing big.
 
Edge said:
Forgot about that one. Though, in hindsight, Norstrom was the one that hurt.
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That one hurt a lot. And while I am blanking on the name, there was also another such a defenseman that was traded to Dallas from the Rangers and he went on to be a mainstay there as well.
 
Edge said:
Some of the trades are double-edged swords - the Amonte and Weight trades being prime examples. The Rangers win the Cup and the moves are acceptable. If they don't, win the cup - I'm not sure I even want to imagine the backlash.
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Those trades tend to be that way. MSL is the same way. The only way that one was going to be a win for the Rangers was if they won the Cup. They did not, and that trade turned out to be horrible.
 
The one I hated and still do was the Zubov trade, that was probably the worst in my time.

I didn't like the Amonte or Weight trades either but I suppose they won the cup so at least they're tolerable at a base level.
 
I hated the Amonte trade, dealing off Savard, and that LA trade. Trading Zubov sucked.

I guess I just can't pick one.

This organization has made some awful moves.

In recent memory - I didn't like trading those picks in the St Louis trade although it saved us from signing Callahan to an awful deal.
 
NYRangers3061 said:
In recent memory, maybe the Nash deal, maybe the St. Louis deal

Callahan, 2014 1st, 2015 1st for St. Louis (one 1 and 1/2 years, of being average)

basically Anisimov, Dubinsky, 2013 1st for Nash(overpaid)
Click to expand...

Keep in mind you'd be paying Dubinsky/Anisimov 10 million and complaining that you don't have a top line scorer. His salary isn't bad - dollar value is fair and the term is good.
 
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