Montreal's Best Trade Tree Ever - The Craig Rivet Trade

[30ranfordfan]

Oh man, now I have been totally inspired to create a really complex trade tree by Oilers and RGM81.... I'll do some research - but I think it would be awesome to take my trade tree back to the 70's, if possible and see if I can find anything still alive that benefits any present day teams... I have a few Ideas, and a few players to look at that could help my "quest"....

Back in the day there was this website called "6degreesofKevinBacon" - I'm not sure if it was "6" or "Six" but you could type in anyone and the site would provide 6 or less degrees of separation between your search and the objective of your search.... I don't know if the site still exists, but beware: you will be on this site for at least a few hours.... I mean you can connect Marilyn Monroe to Ty Cobb, lol.....

Haha yeah there's a few deals out there that have some real legs to them, ones that you don't think will have much meaning in the short term yet turn out to have long-term impact on an organization.

I mostly go with what I know best, and that's the Habs. I'm sure there's tons of little gems from Sam Pollock's era that had long-term impact. Some would be small, but sneaky, and he'd end up with Ken Dryden. LOL

Since we got the ball rolling on these posts, I've been trying to figure out what the longest running active Trade Tree is. I don't have a firm answer, but the "Reg Thomas trade tree" that I mentioned in a comment in the Messier thread, is the longest one I've been able to find so far.... and it's unlikely that I'll find an older one for the Oilers, as it dates back to before the 1979 season.

Thomas was a pick in the expansion draft. He was traded to Toronto for a 6th round pick before the 1979-80 season started. That picked turned into Steve Smith, who was traded for Dave Manson, who was traded for a packaged that included a draft pick that was used on Jason Bonsignore. Bonsignore was part of a swap with Tampa Bay for Roman Hamrlik. That trade for Hamrlik is where the Reg Thomas & Mark Messier trade trees merge (Bryan Marchment was also in that deal, and he came via the Messier tree). As that tree keeps going.... I can tie Reg Thomas to Andreas Athanasiou.

I don't know other teams trade historys well enough, and to find one older than 1979 - I'm also looking for a trade tree that started before I was born, so most smaller deals from those days... I have no idea.

@RGM81 If you're going to talk about Sam Pollock, I think this is actually the answer to "what was Montreal's best trade ever?". I'm going with Ralph Backstrom to the Kings, for Gord Labossiere and Ray Fortin.

[Savard18]

Since we got the ball rolling on these posts, I've been trying to figure out what the longest running active Trade Tree is. I don't have a firm answer, but the "Reg Thomas trade tree" that I mentioned in a comment in the Messier thread, is the longest one I've been able to find so far.... and it's unlikely that I'll find an older one for the Oilers, as it dates back to before the 1979 season.

Thomas was a pick in the expansion draft. He was traded to Toronto for a 6th round pick before the 1979-80 season started. That picked turned into Steve Smith, who was traded for Dave Manson, who was traded for a packaged that included a draft pick that was used on Jason Bonsignore. Bonsignore was part of a swap with Tampa Bay for Roman Hamrlik. That trade for Hamrlik is where the Reg Thomas & Mark Messier trade trees merge (Bryan Marchment was also in that deal, and he came via the Messier tree). As that tree keeps going.... I can tie Reg Thomas to Andreas Athanasiou.

I don't know other teams trade historys well enough, and to find one older than 1979 - I'm also looking for a trade tree that started before I was born, so most smaller deals from those days... I have no idea.

@RGM81 If you're going to talk about Sam Pollock, I think this is actually the answer to "what was Montreal's best trade ever?". I'm going with Ralph Backstrom to the Kings, for Gord Labossiere and Ray Fortin.

Sorry for the bold post guys and gals but the eyes aren't so good these days and I'm waiting on new glasses.

Anyway, the way I approach a trade tree is to think of players that have either been traded a lot or players that have played for tons of teams, usually that is an excellent starting point because sometimes they were a pick acquired in a trade so they could go further back than you think and obviously they will go forward because they were traded many times... So guys like Mike Sillinger would be an interesting one and I'm sure parts of it are still alive today.

This one starts in the First Round of the 1976 NHL Draft and is still alive and going to this very day. It involves Montreal a lot - as a matter of fact (I don't want to ruin it for anyone) but one of the Canadians better players they have today is involved in this trade tree...

Real Cloutier

Real Cloutier was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the First Round of the 1976 NHL Draft and was traded to Quebec in 1979-80 for Quebec's 3rd overall pick which became Denis Savard, Denis Savard was traded to Montreal in 1989-90 for Chris Chelios and a 2nd Round Pick ( Michael Pomichter) the 2nd round pick ends there (tho he was traded for cash to Toronto in 1996), however on March 23rd, 1999 Chris Chelios was traded to Detroit for Anders Eriksson and First Round Picks in 1999 and 2001 - Those picks became Steve McCarthy and Adam Munro. Chris Chelios goes on to play basically forever and that part of the trade tree ends there.

However the Blackhawks traded Anders Eriksson to Florida for Jaroslav Spacek on November 6th, 2002, and Jaroslav Spacek was traded to Columbus on March 19th, 2002 along with the Blackhawks 2nd Round Pick in the 2003 draft which became Dan Fritsche for Lyle Odelien.

On March 10th, 2003 the Blackhawks trade Lyle Odelien to the Dallas Stars (this is where it gets interesting) for Sami Helenius and Dallas' 7th round pick in 2004 which became Troy Brouwer (whom obviously played a role in the Hawks 2010 Cup)...

The Sami Helenius trade branch ends there, but there still is Troy Brouwer.

On June 24th, 2011 the Chicago Blackhawks trade Troy Brouwer to Washington for Washington's 1st round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft - the Blackhawks select Phillip Danault , and on February 16th, 2016 the Blackhawks Trade Danault and their 2nd round pick to Montreal for Thomas Fleischman and Dale Weise..

So 45 years later and this trade tree is still alive and well with BOTH Phillip Danault and Dale Weise both still being active players.. And given Danault's age, who knows how much longer it can go??

But unfortunately the Hawks side of the trade tree ended on February 16th, 2016 with Thomas Fleishman and Dale Weise who both walked away as UFA's at the end of the 2015-16 NHL season.

However, that was the Hawks Trade Tree - Here is Quebec's side:

June 9th, 1979 the Chicago Blackhawks agree not to reclaim Real Cloutier in the NHL/WHA merger in exchange for their 1980 3rd overall pick.

On June 8th, 1983 Quebec trades Real Cloutier and their 1983 First Round Pick which became Adam Creighton to Buffalo for Tony Mckegney, Andre Savard, J-F Sauve and Buffalo's 3rd Round Pick in 1983 which became Iiro Jarvi....

Boy this is going to be a loooong one, lol..

Tony McKegney: Quebec trades Tony McKegney and Bo Berglund to Minnesota for Brad Maxwell and Brent Ashton.

Andre Savard's trade branch ends in 1983-84 via retirement.

J-F Sauve's trade branch ends in 1986-87 after he left the NHL.

Iiro Jarvi's trade branch ends in 1989-90 after he leaves the NHL.

This leaves Brad Maxwell and Brent Ashton as the assets left from the Cloutier Quebec/Buffalo deal.

On August 21st, 1985 Quebec trades Brad Maxwell to Toronto for John Anderson.

On March 8th, 1986 Quebec trades John Anderson to Hartford for Risto Siltanen

On January 17th, 1987 Quebec trades Brent Ashton, Gilbert Delorme and Mark Kumple to Detroit for Basil McRae, John Orgrodnick and Doug Shedden.

So on January 17th 1987 the assets Quebec has left from the Cloutier deal are: Basil McRae, John Orgodnick, Doug Shedden and Risto Siltanen.

After the 1986-87 season Risto Siltanen leaves the NHL - this trade branch ends.

On June 29th, 1987 Basil McRae signs as a UFA with Minnesota - this trade branch ends.

On September 30th, 1987 Quebec trades John Orgrodnick with David Shaw to the NY Rangers for Jeff Jackson and Terry Carkner

On August 14th, 1988 Doug Shedden signs as a UFA with Toronto - This trade branch ends.

So as of August 14th, 1988 the only assets left from the Cloutier trade are Jeff Jackson and Terry Carkner.

On February 19th, 1992 Jeff Jackson signs as a UFA with Chicago - This trade branch ends here.

On July 25th, 1988 Quebec Trades Terry Carkner to Philly for Greg Smyth and Philly's 3rd round pick in the 1989 NHL Draft which became John Tanner...

On March, 10th 1992 Quebec trades Greg Smyth to Calgary for Martin Simard.

On Feburary 20th, 1994 Quebec trades John Tanner to the Ducks for a 4th round pick in the 1995 NHL Draft which became Tomi Kallio.

On September 14th, 1992 Martin Simard was traded to Tampa Bay to complete transaction that sent Tim Hunter to Quebec (So Simard was part of the Hunter deal that happened on June 19th, 1992).

On June 25th, 1999 Tomi Kallio was claimed by Atlanta in expansion draft from Colorado -- Trade branch ends there.

So that just leaves Tim Hunter as the final asset from the Real Cloutier deal.

On February 12th, 1993 Tim Hunter is claimed off waivers by Vancouver.

So the Trade tree is over for the Quebec/Colorado Franchise on June 25th, 1999 when Tomi Kallio was claimed by Atlanta in the Expansion Draft.

/DONE