One of the biggest questions general managers of Stanley Cup contending teams ask themselves this time of year is whether or not to roll the dice on a trade deadline rental. Do you give up future assets for a player with an expiring contract? Or do you keep the future in mind and go forward with your roster as constructed?
There’s no perfect formula. In 2007, the Anaheim Ducks’ biggest trade deadline pickup was Brad May. However, the 2000 New Jersey Devils added Alexander Mogilny to the fold at the deadline and won the Cup. Other teams that gambled on deadline rentals and failed to win in the playoffs, in some cases, have turned out to look bad. Was obtaining Jarome Iginla for one fruitless playoff run worth two prospects and a first-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins?
Here is our list of the 10 most impactful deadline rentals in the last 10 years, in chronological order:
2006: Mark Recchi and Doug Weight to Carolina
Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford made a pair of moves that significantly helped them win their only Stanley Cup. Rutherford acquired Weight from St. Louis in January and Recchi from Pittsburgh on deadline day, dealing away nine assets in the process. The leadership Weight and Recchi provided Carolina that spring was invaluable. Both were big playoff contributors.
Do the Hurricanes win the Cup without Weight and Recchi? Probably not.
2006: Dwayne Roloson to Edmonton
When you talk about recent deadline deals that made an impact, Edmonton’s acquisition of Dwayne Roloson has to be at or near the top of this list. Roloson, acquired from Minnesota in exchange for a first-round and a conditional pick in 2006, played a vital role in getting the Oilers to the 2006 Cup final. His numbers weren’t jaw-dropping, but he was more than clutch during the Oilers’ unforgettable Cinderella run.
Unfortunately, Roloson broke his leg in Game 1 against Carolina of the Stanley Cup final and had to watch his team lose in seven games.
Roloson was re-signed by the Oilers in the subsequent off-season.
2007: Peter Forsberg to Nashville
When GM David Poile acquired one of the world’s top players, it sent shock waves throughout the entire league: Nashville was serious about winning. Peter Forsberg didn’t play at 100 per cent health but still managed to rack up 19 points in 22 games, including the playoffs.
The end result — a first-round exit courtesy of San Jose — wasn’t what the Predators had envisioned, though, when they traded away four assets (Scottie Upshall the most notable) to obtain Forsberg.
2007: Ryan Smyth to New York Islanders
One of the most stunning trades in NHL history came on deadline day 2007, when Edmonton traded Ryan Smyth, a fan favourite, to the playoff-contending Islanders. Smyth was a nice coup for the Islanders, as he notched 19 points in 23 games, including the playoffs. Seeing him in a different shade of orange and blue was… different.
2007: Keith Tkachuk to Atlanta
The Atlanta Thrashers were desperate to make their first playoff appearance, so they made a splash by prying veteran forward Keith Tkachuk from St. Louis. With 15 points in 18 regular-season games, Tkachuk helped the Thrashers achieve that goal. The highlight for the Blues in this trade was getting a first-round pick (which turned into defence prospect Ian Cole) and re-signing Tkachuk in the subsequent off-season.
2008: Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh
Three months before Marian Hossa signed a curious one-year contract in Detroit, the talented winger was an important piece of the Penguins’ puzzle en route to the Cup final — against those same Red Wings, no less.
Deadline day in 2008 was a crazy one, and the Penguins pulled off the biggest move by acquiring free-agent-to-be Hossa. At the time it appeared Pittsburgh had parted with a king’s ransom to get Hossa and Pascal Dupuis. But the package of Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and 2008 first-round pick Daultan Leveille looks weak in hindsight.
Hossa tallied 26 points in 20 playoff games and scored some big goals for the Penguins that postseason. Dupuis, on the other hand, has been a downright steal as the “throw-in” to that trade, turning into a valuable secondary scorer on the current Penguins roster.
2008: Brad Stuart to Detroit
While Hossa helped the Penguins reach the final in 2008, Brad Stuart got his name etched on the Cup as part of Detroit’s defence corps. Trading away two draft picks for Stuart’s services proved to be the right move by Red Wings GM Ken Holland, as Stuart’s stay-at-home nature was a missing ingredient on the Wings’ back end.
Stuart recorded a plus-15 rating in 21 games that postseason and re-signed with Detroit in the off-season.
2008: Brian Campbell to San Jose
San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson paid a hefty price on deadline day in 2008 for the sought-after Brian Campbell. Wilson won the bidding war by trading Steve Bernier and a first-round pick (which turned into Tyler Ennis) to Buffalo for Campbell’s services. The puck-moving defenceman was a perfect fit with the Sharks, recording a staggering 19 points in 20 regular-season games and another seven in 13 playoff games.
Campbell’s success in San Jose was parlayed into an eight-year deal with Chicago the following off-season.
2009: Bill Guerin to Pittsburgh
I would venture to guess Penguins GM Ray Shero will never get better use out of a conditional draft pick than he did back in 2009. On the downside of his career, Bill Guerin was an important acquisition for Pittsburgh. Not only did Guerin provide a lift offensively, but his pep talk following a Game 5 loss against Detroit in the Cup final was enough to put his new teammates over the top in games 6 and 7.
Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe and Sidney Crosby achieved Cup glory, but none of that would’ve been possible without Guerin’s presence.
2010: Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey
Ilya Kovalchuk comes to the forefront when you think about past deadline rentals. In one of the most anticipated moves in recent memory, Kovalchuk was dealt from Atlanta to an unexpected destination. Lou Lamoreillo and the Devils went outside the box and brought in the star goal-scorer to round out a roster good enough to win the Stanley Cup.
Kovalchuk’s move to structured New Jersey was an adjustment at first, but he did rack up 27 points in 27 games with his new team prior to the playoffs. Unfortunately for Kovalchuk, making his second-career playoff appearance, the Devils’ stay in the postseason was short-lived.
However, he signed a 15-year contract with the Devils that off-season and helped them advance to the Cup final in 2012.
