June 29, 2016 may go down as one of the craziest news days in NHL history, highlighted by a trio of massive stories that broke in short order.
First, the Edmonton Oilers traded Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson, followed by the Montreal Canadiens pulling off a trade for Shea Weber, sending P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators.
On top of that, this year's marquee free agent, Steven Stamkos, chose to remain with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Here's a sampling of the reaction from around the hockey world.
Five NHL teams made potentially franchise altering moves (some good, some bad) on Wednesday afternoon, and it all happened during one chaotic hour on what was an otherwise quiet summer afternoon.
Alan Muir, Sports Illustrated:
In a span of an hour on Wednesday afternoon, both teams agreed to stunning, self-destructive deals. First, the Oilers sent All-Star left wing Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for underperforming defender Adam Larsson, a trade that looked to be the NHL's most lopsided since the Boston Bruins sent Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars for Loui Eriksson and a handful of beans.
So, where to begin with one of the most dramatic half hours in NHL transaction history?
Let's just say the collective hockey heart rate is still beating in the red line, even as we begin to consider all that transpired in that magical 30 minutes.
To even call the Subban deal a blockbuster would seem like under-selling it. This was something bigger, a trade that was both impossibly simple and ridiculously complex at the same time. It involves a pair of two-time first-team all-stars, both with massive contracts, both still in their prime or at least plausibly close enough. Players like that never get traded in the NHL anymore. They certainly don't get traded for each other, straight up, without any retained salary or picks or complicated conditions.
In Toronto, there was mass disappointment.
Understandable.
In Montreal, there was venomous anger.
There should have been.
In Edmonton, there was a lot of puzzlement and head-scratching going on.
Don’t look now, but it might be going on for a while.
Welcome to Wacky Wednesday in the National Hockey League, one of the wildest days we can remember in recent memory when it comes to the world’s fastest sport.
Hockey. There is a conservatism to this game, and there is extra pressure in this country, and that pressure never stops. Edmonton was gifted with the player of a lifetime, and now the McDavid clock is ticking, so Taylor Hall was sacrificed. The Canadiens had this roaring personality, a No. 1 defenceman with all kind of gifts, and he was too big for Montreal. People wonder why Canada doesn’t win Stanley Cups anymore. Maybe Wednesday was one example why.
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