Looking back at the 5 worst trades in NHL history

4. Marcus Naslund for Alek Stojanov

Marcus Naslund is a great example of why teams shouldn’t give up on players too soon. The Pittsburgh Penguins were frustrated with the young forward after he posted just 15 points in his first two seasons.

Even though Naslund broke out in his third season (1995-96) with 52 points in 66 games with the Penguins, they still traded him to the Vancouver Canucks for Alek Stojanov. Initially, the trade appeared to be a trade featuring two young forwards who needed a change in scenery. This certainly was true for Naslund, but not for Stojanov.

During his entire tenure with the Pens, Stojanov had six points in 45 games. Naslund once equaled this total in one game. He went on to be one of the greatest forwards in Canucks history. Naslund played a huge role in mentoring the Sedin twins, who, ironically, probably unseated him from his throne as Vancouver’s best forward ever.

This trade was so awful, it probably kept the Penguins from having a borderline dynasty. Pittsburgh kept falling just short of the Stanley Cup Finals in the mid- to late-1990s. If only they had a dynamic forward like Naslund to help them out. You could argue this led to the eventual downfall of the Pens.