5 Biggest Trades In The NHL Since 2010

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With the blockbuster trades that have happened the last two weeks in the NHL. I thought it would be fun to look at five of the biggest trades in the NHL since 2010

 

  1. Erik Karlsson to San Jose

 

In the summer of 2018 the Ottawa Senators were shopping franchise corner-stone Erik Karlsson. Karlsson was one of the best defenceman in the league at the time already winning two Norris Trophies and carried the Senators to the Conference finals in 2017. Ottawa had a disappointing year in 2018 and Karlsson wanted out. The dealt him to the San Jose Sharks for  Chris Tierney Rudolfs Balcers Dylan Demelo and draft pick Josh Norris  as well as a 2020 unprotected first-round pick. Looking back at it now, it may look like the Senators won the trade simply based off of how Josh Norris has developed. But the Sharks got to pair Karlsson along side Brent Burns and they went to the western conference final. So it wasn’t all bad but I would have to say the Senators won the deal.

 

  1. Mikko Rantanen to Carolina

 

I know you might think that this is recency bias but its not. Also I know Taylor Hall is technically involved in the deal but we are just going to focus on Rantanen and Martin Necas.

This is at number four mainly because of the shock factor and its two star players getting dealt for each other. At the time of this trade Rantanen was sixth in the league in scoring and Necas was 12th. When do two top scorers ever get traded? Let alone for each other. Rantanen is a bonafide star in this  league and Necas is one of the best young stars. A huge part of this deal is to see if Rantanen will re-sign in Carolina but this is one of biggest trades since 2010 no doubt.

  1. Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson “ The trade is one for one”

 

Does reading that sentence bring back memories? This trade was part of an iconic day in NHL history. ( I’ll get more into that on the trade on this list). Peter Chairelli had some all-time lows as the Edmonton Oilers general manager.  But this one might sum it up in a nutshell. Taylor Hall might not have been the elite winger everyone thought he was going to be after being taken first overall. But after the Oilers drafted Connor McDavid it seemed like they might have something cooking in Oil Country. That was until Chairelli sent him on his way to New Jersey. The reason this trade is so memorable is the fact Hall won the Hart Trophy the very next year. What a slap in the face that must have been to Oilers fans. Now don’t get me wrong Larsson was a very solid defenseman but Oilers fans may never live this trade down.

 

  1. PK Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber

 

This trade was part of the iconic day that I was previously talking about. Steven Stamkos signed an eight-year extension with the Lightning, Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson happened, the this bombshell dropped. There were Rumors that the Montreal Canadiens might trade PK Subban but I don’t think anyone thought that the Nashville Predators would trade Shea Weber. Let’s start with Subban, he was a fan favourite in Montreal and had won a Norris Trophy. Weber was one of the top defencemen in the league and was Nashville’s captain. In the early years of this trade Nashville seemed like the clear winner. Subban was a Norris trophy finalist and helped Nashville go to the Stanley Cup final. Weber was struggling to stay healthy with his new squad and had an expensive cap hit. All of a sudden that changed. Subban was struggling to stay healthy and Nashville shipped him off to New Jersey in 2019. While in 2021 Weber helped lead the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup final. All in all this turned out to be a pretty even trade.

  1. Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers

After coming off a career high 104 points in 2022, Matthew Tkachuk told the Calgary Flames that he wanted to play elsewhere. So they sent him down to South Beach and in return the Flames acquired  Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a lottery-protected 2025 first-round pick. Huberdeau was coming off a career year himself putting up 115 points. A lot of people including myself thought that Flames had won this deal. But boy we were so wrong. In the following season Tkachuk put up 109 points and led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup final. While Huberdeau had one of the biggest point drop offs ever falling from 115 points to 55. Tkachuk turned into one of the best players in the NHL after the Panthers hosted the cup last summer. While Huberdeau is struggling to find his form making 10.5 million dollars. Yikes!

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