3 Luka Doncic-style trades that could break the NHL landscape as we know it

The shocking trade that sent Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for the aging Anthony Davis completely altered the landscape of the NBA as we all know it. Basketball fans struggled to get their heads around the outlandish decision while others wondered if it could happen in to their own favorite teams.

Well, we decided to have a little fun and explore what kind of blockbuster NHL trades could equal the shock value of the Doncic-Davis trade. Of course, all the exchanges listed below aren't just straight up swaps. There are several other pieces including prospects and draft picks that will have to be part of the mix to balance them out. Think "elite player" for "great player with some question marks."

3 Luka Doncic-type trades that would send massive shockwaves through the NHL

Sidney Crosby for Cale Makar

The Pittsburgh Penguins seem to be grappling with what to do with their long-time face of the franchise. Crosby, 37, signed an extension with the team that keeps him around until the end of the 2026-27 season but if there's no urgency to win another Stanley Cup, then what's the point of dragging him along for a whimper of a retirement tour instead of going out with a bang?

Enter the Colorado Avalanche and their seemingly endless championship window. Now, they already dealt Mikko Rantanen away to the Carolina Hurricanes but what's stopping them from replacing him with a still-reliable forward that can add invaluable veteran presence and production to the top six? Of course, that would cost a pretty penny but in the spirit of the Doncic trade, sending a young top-scoring defenseman the other way would fit. He'd make an immediate impact in Pittsburgh and give the Metropolitan Division more fits just when everyone thought the pesky Penguins had gotten out of the way.

Connor McDavid for Mitch Marner (or William Nylander) plus more

Or why not both? Let's get funky with this one. Just like the (in)famous Wayne Gretzky trade in 1988, McDavid would command a ridiculous haul in return for the Edmonton Oilers. It's plausible the Toronto Maple Leafs could be desperate enough to send two supporting cast members of Auston Matthews' away in exchange for the league's biggest star. There would need to be a significant haul in draft capital going to the Oilers as well but that could also balance out in pick swaps.

McDavid came oh so close to winning his first Stanley Cup in 2024 but how much longer he can stand missing out on a championship in Edmonton is only something he knows. The speculation over whether he would choose to abandon ship for a better contender has always swirled amongst fans, but again, in the spirit of the Doncic trade, this would be a swap between two teams that don't necessarily make the most sense to make such franchise-altering decisions.

Jack Hughes for Kirill Kaprizov

The New Jersey Devils are young, hungry and fast. We've also been saying that about the Devils for over three seasons now and not much as come of it. How much longer will the team keep trying to build around Hughes before it becomes apparent there just isn't a championship caliber squad in Newark? Hughes is a McDavid-esque superstar in the making despite his already impressive abilities but it might not be too long before he's in a win-now mentality.

The Minnesota Wild aren't the first team one thinks of when considering Stanley Cup contenders. But with the amount of supporting cast talent built up in Minneapolis-St. Paul, it may just take a bona fide super star to put together a championship run. Perhaps Hughes is that missing piece. New Jersey, of course, would need a strong, young talent in return and that's where Kirill Kaprizov would come in. He's not exactly Hughes-level elite but he could certainly continue to develop on a team like New Jersey that thrives on the fast-break and skates circles around defenses.