The entire landscape of the NHL was shifted forever on June 29, 2016 thanks to three blockbuster personnel moves.
It’s rare that the NHL leads the headlines in late June. However, two years ago, on June 29, 2016, hockey was the talk of the town all across the world. Three moves happened in less than 30 minutes. Two of them were blockbuster trades. The other saw the most notable free agent re-sign from out of nowhere.
Hockey fans will never forget where they were on June 29, 2016. The landscape of the league was shifted. Two years later, let’s take a look back at the most exciting 30 minutes the NHL offseason has ever seen.
“Trade is one for one”
First, the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers made a surprising trade. Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli traded star wing Taylor Hall to the Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson.
Initially, everyone assumed there was more to the trade. Surely the Devils were giving up more than just Larsson, right? Nope.
Trade is one for one: Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 29, 2016
Initially, it looked like the Oilers got the short-end of the deal. After all, Hall, at the time, was a great forward (and still is one), while Larsson was merely a good defenseman. However, after the Oilers made the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, people started thinking maybe Edmonton won the trade.
But they didn’t. The 2017-18 season saw the Oilers become one of the most disappointing teams in the league. They struggled whenever Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl weren’t on the ice.
Meanwhile, the Devils made a surprising postseason appearance. Oh yeah, and Hall won the Hart Trophy.
Two stars traded for each other
Just as fans were recovering and reacting from the initial shock of the infamous “one for one” trade, the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators pulled off arguably the biggest trade in years.
Not even a week after Habs general manager Marc Bergevin said he wouldn’t trade his star defenseman P.K. Subban, guess what he did? Yup, he traded Subban for Shea Weber.
This created the ultimate debate for hockey fans. Would you prefer a new-age defenseman in Subban or an old-school one like Weber? It also created a ton of emotions for both the Canadiens and Predators fanbases. Weber and Subban were legends in their respective cities, faces of their respective franchises.
Two years later, it looks like the Predators came out on top for two reasons. First of all, Subban helped lead the Preds to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016-17 and their first President’s Trophy in 2017-18.
Secondly, Weber’s durability, once a strength, is now a concern. He missed most of the 2017-18 season with a serious foot injury. Also, the Canadiens are worse off now than they were in 2016. Montreal and Nashville still love Subban and Weber.
Stamkos re-signs
The last bomb dropped on that day was arguably the biggest one. Merely two days before free agency started, Steven Stamkos still hadn’t re-signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. At the time, the NHL hadn’t seen a free agent as great as the Bolts captain in the salary cap era.
And then, it happened.
Cancel the Stamkos Sweepstakes, he has decided to return to the Tampa Bay Lightning. #TSN
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 29, 2016
Stamkos is a private guy, so it figures his decision to re-sign with the Lightning came out just four minutes after Subban was traded for Weber. Tampa Bay kept their star and, even though he has seen lots of injuries since then, they’re better off because they kept him.
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Two years after this, John Tavares is two days away from hitting free agency. Will he continue to follow the path of great players and re-sign long-term with his team, the New York Islanders? Or could Tavares do what Stamkos couldn’t and become the biggest free agent in NHL history?