Trade Analysis, Take 2

Trade Deadline ’06 // Pittsburgh trades CORY CROSS to Detroit for a 4th Round Pick in 2007.

When Cory Cross came to Motown, he was joining his third team of the 2005-06 season. He had played 34 games in Edmonton before being shipped off to Pittsburgh, who clearly didn’t see a value in him and shipped him to Detroit after six games. He got into 16 games with the Wings before being a healthy scratch for the spine-shivering opening series loss to the Oilers. He finished his up-and-down career in Germany.

That little fourth round pick became Alex Grant. Grant is a decent-sized defenseman, who just completed his fourth season of Major Junior – splitting time between the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and Shawinigan Cataractes. Hockey’s Future says he improved drastically over the course the season – particularly in less tangible areas like discipline.

Even though Cross was used sparingly in Detroit, it was nice having a veteran defenseman at the ready. He had some very good seasons in Tampa, and I’m sure this move was more about solidifying blueline depth than it was above acquiring a game-changer. That said, if Alex Grant adds some muscle to his frame and becomes a useful everyday defenseman in the league, the trade could be considered a loss a few years down the road.

Trade Deadline ’06 // Detroit acquires a 7th Round Pick in 2006 from Phoenix for Jamie Rivers.

Jamie Rivers was very much a spare part in Detroit — much like Cory Cross became upon his arrival. He got into 15 games in 05-06, and was presumably traded to make room for what the Wings considered to be a better insurance policy in Cross.

The seventh round pick became Nick Oslund – a prospect Winger currently playing at St. Cloud State, and will be entering his junior year in 09-10. Drafting college kids is nice because – unlike players from junior – the drafting team retains the player’s rights until they graduate (or leave school). Oslund has two more years to impress the Wings to earn a contract. Any seventh round pick who makes the League should be considered a victory for all involved.

February ’04 // Washington trades ROBERT LANG to Detroit for Tomas Fleischmann, a 1st Round Pick in 2004, and a 4th Round Pick in 2006.

Robert Lang became the first player to be traded while leading the League in scoring. Could this finally be the illusive “top-six winger” the Red Wings had been searching for?

Short answer: no, not really. While he never had a bad season in red and white, he earned himself a nice little catchphrase at LetsGoWings, when fans began to notice he didn’t really seem to making much of an effort at times. It was no secret he was in Coach Babcock’s doghouse, and amid rumors of their head-butting, Lang jumped ship for the Hawks when his contract expired in ’07.

For the first time on our little trade retrospectives, I can say that this one kinda hurts… and George James Malik from Snapshots agrees.

Fleischmann is kinda sorta fitting in with the Capitals – I think everyone might agree that his progress has been a little slower than Washington had hoped, but he’s perfectly capable of playing in the League and has the potential to fill a top-six role one day.

That first round draft pick? Became none other than ’09 Norris-trophy candidate and faux-hawk-rocker Mike Green. Ouch (the Norris nod, not the noggin). Obviously, there’s no way of knowing that the Red Wings would have selected Mike Green (though, judging by their drafting practices the last two decades, it’s a fair bet to assume they would have taken a defenseman), but here’s a guy on 29 NHL teams’ wish lists.

Not that it matters, but to add some insult to injury, the fourth round pick became Luke Lynes – ironically a local boy from Rochester Hills. It appears as though Washington passed on signing him, and he hasn’t caught on anywhere else — unless you count the Amarillo Gorillas (and really, who wouldn’t?).

Trade Deadline ’03 // Los Angeles trades MATHIEU SCHNEIDER to Detroit for Maxim Kuznetsov, Sean Avery, a 1st Round Pick in 2003, and a 2nd Round Pick in 2004.

November ’02 // Buffalo trades JASON WOOLLEY to Detroit for future considerations.

I can’t find what the “future considerations” were, so I’m going to go ahead and call this a win. Former Michigan State Spartan/Canadian Olympian Jason Woolley was actually re-signed the following year (in a move preceded by Brett Lebda’s demotion to Grand Rapids) and again after the lockout.

Trade Deadline ’02 // Atlanta trades JIRI SLEGR to Detroit for Yuri Butsayev and a 3rd Round Pick in 2002.

Jiri Slegr got into a single playoff game with the Wings, and – wouldn’t ya know it! – it was a Stanley Cup Final game earning himself the right to have his name chiseled on the grail.

The Wings parted with Butsayev, who had only gotten into three games that season with the Wings, and a third round pick – which was later traded to Columbus and became Jeff Genovy. Like Luke Lynes above, Genovy was a Michigan guy, from Kalamazoo. Genovy played in Clarkson and has been relegated to the CHL, seemingly with no interest from NHL clubs.

Evoking some of Discher’s article about winning a championship with your acquisition, I have to assume that the Wings won this deal because Slegr’s name is on the Cup and Yuri Butsayev played one game shy of 100 in the NHL while Genovy looks like his NHL dreams are coming to a close.

Summer ’01 // Buffalo trades DOMINIK HASEK to Detroit for Vyacheslav Kozlov, a 1st Round Pick in 2002, and Future Considerations

In an effort to shed some salary — and to grant Dom’s wish to move on to a more competitive team — the Sabres decided it was time to move their All-World goaltender. Twice the Hart Trophy winner as the League’s MVP, and six-times the winner of the Vezina as the League’s top goaltender, Dominik Hasek had earned himself praise from some guy named Wayne Gretzky, who called the slinky netminder “the best player in the game.“