Avalanche best and Worst trades

[yave1964]

Befogging with the best:

 

Ugh this one hurts. Hated these guys back then. It starts with the first major trade in Colorado history after they left Quebec.

THE GOOD

 

 

Claude Lemieux and the Devils got into a snit after he dominated the postseason and they went into full he said she said about whether a faxed contract counted or not, the Champion Devils in a fit made a three way deal sending Lemieux to the Avalanche and the rest as they say is history,Steve Thomas ended up in New Jersey, Wendell Clark on the Island, Lemieux ended up immortalized as one of the greatest big game players ever. He is on a very short list of players with a cup with with 3 franchises.

 

Patrick Roy and Mike Keane from Montreal for Racinsky, Thibault and Kovalenko.

  No way no how this deal ever gets done if the 'Lanche were still in Quebec, a riot would have occured in Montreal. But with the new Avalanche looking like a contender but worried about their netminding and having a Frenchie to deal back to Montreal for the disgruntled Roy and Mike Keane who I may have hated more than even Lemieux back in the day, the final pieces were in place for the new franchise to win a cup in their first season. Roy went on to win again in 2001 giving him a total of 4 times hoisting Lord Stanleys Cup.

 

Ray Bourque (and Andreychuk) from the Bruins for Rolston and Pahlsson

I may disagree with some in here about the extent of how much Bourque meant to the Avalanche winning a cup a year later, but the fact is for a couple of decent prospects he did play a role in landing Colorado their second cup in six years before riding off into the sunset. It was the only thing missing from his monstrous trophy case and he was able to go out on top.

 

Rob Blake and Steve Reinprecht from the Kings for Deadmarsh and Aaron Miller

Deadline deal in 2001 brought the amazing Blake who was nearly a point a game producer in the 2001 postseason helping to lead the Avalanche to the Cup. Blake hung around for another 4 seasons averaging 50 points a season and playing brilliant defense. Reinprecht was steady in a 3C role for several years in colorado and had a nice decade long run elsewhere, Deadmarsh played one full season in LA before concussions ruined his career and Aaron Miller stuck around for 6 seasons in LA as a 7th d-man only once scoring more than a single goal in a year.

 

THE BAD:

Johnny Boychuk to the Islanders for Matt Hendricks

Slugging wingers are a dime a dozen but for some reason in 2008 the Avalanche dealt for Hendricks giving up Boychuk who settled nicely for a half a dozen years in Boston into a middle pair steady defender role before moving on to the Isles where he has continued to build and adding more of an offensive threat as well. Hendricks is still around somewhere as a 4th liner, or at least that is the rumor.

 

Radim Vrbata to the Hurricanes for Bates Battaglia

 For some reason as the 2003 trade deadline approached the Avalanche thought that Battaglia was the answer, he scored 1 goal in parts of 2 seasons in colorado in 24 total games before being shipped off, whereas Vrbata who has holes in his game but can flat out score has put up 230 goals since the trade and is still playing.

 

KEVIN SHATTENKIRK AND Chris Stewart to the Blues for Erik Johnson and Mcclement and a first rounder

  When this deal was announced in 2011 I was blown away, I loved Stewart's potential as a power forward and thought he was the key. Stewart has been solid if unspectacular and has settled into the role of a third line winger who hits and fights scoring 98 goals since the deal, McClement is a mediocre 4th line center. Erik Johnson is not exactly a bust, the first pick in the draft in 2006 has been a quietly solid number three on defense who scores 25-30 points a year. The frist rounder the "Lanche got was wasted on Duncan Seimens who has bombed at the AHL level.

  The key is Shattenkirk who has scored almost as many power play points alone than Johnson has points of any kind since the trade. Shatty is an absolute beast on the point, one of the very best in the game.

 So there ya go. The Avalanche best and worst. Honorable Mention, i nearly mentioned the deal sending Owen Nolan and his 206 goals scored in a Shark sweater in exchange for Sandis Ozolinch but Ozolinch was not slouch himself from the blueline and played a key role for the club

 

 

 

 

[Severide]

So just the Avs, no Nordiques?

[nossagog]

I think you have to go back to the Lindros trade that began the transition from the Nordiques to the Av's.   I think the Av's win their first cup with the pieces from the Lindros trade.  Going to the above, Thibault is only there for the Roy trade because of that deal. Thibault was the pick the Nordique's received.  Add to that Ricci and Forsberg and that was the major reason for their push to the cup.  There were a few other pieces that got put in place because of the original deal, would have to look those up.