Fansided

NHL Trade Deadline: Ranking every team’s worst ever trade

By David Rouben

SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 3: Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings in action against the Edmonton Oilers at the Arco Arena on April 3, 1994 in Sacramento, California. The Kings defeated the Oilers 6-1. (Photo by Rocky Widner/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - APRIL 3: Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings in action against the Edmonton Oilers at the Arco Arena on April 3, 1994 in Sacramento, California. The Kings defeated the Oilers 6-1. (Photo by Rocky Widner/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 6: Roberto Luongo
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 6: Roberto Luongo /

16: Florida Panthers

Panthers fans can take solace in the fact that they now have Luongo back in a similarly one-sided trade and is playing as good as he was before he got dealt the first time. But letting him go in the first place, and for what they got back, was not a bright idea.

Breaking it down: Luongo was replaced by Alex Auld, Lucas Krajicek was replaced by Bryan Allen, and a sixth round pick was the price for Todd Bertuzzi; that he was still allowed to play after committing a heinous cheap shot. Even if the two goalies were the only pieces involved in the deal, it would’ve been incredibly one-sided. But the two other players the Panthers received didn’t fare very well either.

The Panthers won the Krajicek-Allen exchange. Bryan Allen set a career-high in points (25) in his first season with the Panthers and continued to be a consistent defender for four more seasons. Lucas Krajicek, meanwhile, was plagued by injuries and had to be shipped out to Tampa Bay after two seasons. As for the Bertuzzi exchange, Shirokov’s NHL career was brief, but that’s understandable given he was a sixth-round pick. Bertuzzi was happy to be reunited with his former coach Mike Keenan in Florida but had to undergo surgery in just his first season before he got shipped to the Red Wings.

The real back breaker, of course, was with the two goalies involved. Luongo was a star in Vancouver. Forget fan favorite; some call him the best goalie in franchise history, and he’s fully deserving of that title. He led the Canucks to multiple Presidents’ Trophies, and consistently put up league-leading numbers, or close to it. He often got Vezina consideration, but never won it. In his first ever playoffs, he made 72 saves in a quadruple overtime win and 56 in a losing effort.

Out of the eight seasons Luongo spent with the Canucks, they made the playoffs six times. He came within one game of a Stanley Cup in 2011, but the Bruins set the city of Vancouver on fire.

Considering Auld came to the Panthers in place of Luongo, a lot was expected and he was supposed to be the starter. But the fact that they signed Ed Belfour indicated the confidence they had in him. Belfour’s arrival relegated Auld to a backup role before he signed with the Coyotes after an uneventful season.

The Panthers don’t have poor attendance because they’re a bad hockey market, it’s because they’ve been terrible to watch for so long. Now that Luongo’s back and the team’s doing well, they’ve actually been getting good attendance, believe it or not. If you build it, they will come.

Next: 15: Nashville Predators

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