It was 20 years ago Saturday that the St. Louis Blues acquired the greatest rental player in history.
On this day, during the 1995-96 season, the Blues sent a package of Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, a first-round draft pick in 1997, and a fifth-round draft pick in 1996 to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the league's all-time points leader, Wayne Gretzky.
The move made the Blues a Cup favorite, with a roster including forwards Brett Hull and Dale Hawerchuk, defensemen Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger, and goaltender Grant Fuhr.
Gretzky says it was common sense at the time.
"I weighed all my options and just said it makes perfect sense for me to become a St. Louis Blue," Gretzky told Dan O’Neill of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "My wife's from St. Louis. We can live in St. Louis and raise our family there. That's our home and … there were no alternatives, really. Ultimately, they pulled the trigger and I became a St. Louis Blue."
Gretzky seamlessly transitioned into his new team, recording eight goals and 21 points in 18 regular season games, before punching in 16 more points in 13 playoff games.
The club was ultimately ousted by the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference finals thanks to an iconic Steve Yzerman Game 7, double-overtime winner.
That in turn spelled the end of Gretzky's short-lived time with the Blues, as he would go on to sign with the New York Rangers that summer, where he would play out the final three seasons of his career.
"I often look back at it and think, 'Oh my gosh, if things would have turned out differently, I’d probably still be in St. Louis full-time,'" Gretzky said. "But, you know, the good Lord works in mysterious ways and sometimes that doesn’t happen. But I have nothing but fond memories."
- With h/t to NHL.com
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The Chicago Blackhawks are taking their bid to repeat as Stanley Cup champions very seriously. Since Thursday, the club's acquired Andrew Ladd, Christian Ehrhoff, Dale Weise, and Tomas Fleischmann.
Over the past decade, trades before and on deadline day have impacted eventual Cup winners. Take the quiz below to see how well you know Cup champions since 2006 and their deadline history.
- With H/T to Today's Slapshot
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The St. Louis Blues aren't going to trade David Backes before Monday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. But they aren't going to re-sign their captain to a contract extension, either.
Backes is playing out the final season of his contract, earning $4.75 million and carrying a salary cap hit of $4.5 million.
"There are no ongoing dialogues," general manager Doug Armstrong said, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford.
Earlier in the week, Armstrong said trading Backes for future considerations - a draft pick or two - wasn't an option. It "would be an injustice to the players in that (dressing) room right now."
Backes has a full no-trade clause, and the contending Blues will figure out his future with the club after the season ends.
"We had really good conversations over the summer," Armstrong added. "The feeling was let's let the year play itself out. He's going to be a big part of what we're doing over the next little while."
Rutherford cites a source who said Backes turned down a three-year, $16.5-million extension, though it's unclear when that offer was made.
Backes, who'll turn 32 on May 1, has 15 goals and 18 assists in 63 games. He's spent his entire 10-year career with the Blues, scoring 50 or more points five times.
Rutherford also notes that Troy Brouwer, who also has an expiring contract, won't be re-signed before Monday, either. Brouwer's earning $3.75 million, while carrying a cap hit of $3.67 million.
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Travis Konecny scored twice and had an assist tonight, extending his OHL point streak to 14 games. This is filthy. pic.twitter.com/PptsWyCWdi
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) February 27, 2016
Philadelphia Flyers prospect Travis Konecny has officially been diagnosed with sick mitts.
Konecny - who is currently playing for the OHL's Sarnia Sting - absolutely undressed the Barrie Colts defender at the blue line before unleashing a perfect toe drag release for the goal Friday.
The 18-year-old first-round draft pick in 2014 extended his point streak to 14 games with a three-point performance, and now has 25 goals and 62 assists in 52 OHL contests this season.
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A difficult season continues to get even tougher for the Montreal Canadiens.
Related: Canadiens trade Weise, Fleischmann to Blackhawks
Dale Weise - the centerpiece of a pre-deadline deal between the Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday - exits Montreal after 152 games over three seasons. The 27-year-old's departure is particularly difficult on star defenseman P.K. Subban.
Subban offered a glimpse into the personal off-ice outcome of an NHL trade, taking to Twitter to praise his former teammate and best friend Saturday:
Seeing your best friend and one of the best teammates ever go is never easy.. @daleweise22 your a player! #goodluck pic.twitter.com/ysBESYvLMA
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) February 27, 2016
Weise certainly felt the same way:
. Gonna miss you 👆🏻 https://t.co/eTR9lxXrRQ
— Dale Weise (@daleweise22) February 27, 2016
The Canadiens will play their first game without Weise against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
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Mikkel Boedker remains a member of the Arizona Coyotes, which means he's prepping for a matinee.
The forward is expected to be in his team's lineup Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers, reports TSN's Darren Dreger, "unless something materializes very quickly trade wise."
On an expiring contract that pays him $3.75 million, Boedker's expected to be moved ahead of Monday's trade deadline. He has 13 goals and 25 assists. The speculation may be getting to him, though, as he only has one goal and seven assists in 24 games in 2016.
Nevertheless, there's no doubt he can help a contender. He plays 18:40 a game and has four game-winning goals. In addition, 18 of his points have come on the power play.
The Coyotes are eight points back of the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While Arizona has two games in hand, the club's lost four in a row, and the playoffs are looking more like fantasy than reality with 21 games to go.
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The Edmonton Oilers are believed to have traded goaltender Anders Nilsson to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a mid-round draft pick, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie.
Nilsson, whose rights the Oilers acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks last summer, has posted a 10-12-2 record for Edmonton, while boasting a goals against average of 3.14 and a save percentage of .901.
The departure of Nilsson won't come as much of a shock for Oilers fans, as the 25-year-old netminder had been the subject of trade rumors leading up to next week's deadline, and was made a backup for Friday's loss in Anaheim after originally being announced as the starter.
With Brian Elliott nursing a lower body injury for at least the next four weeks, Nilsson could provide some insurance behind Jake Allen in St. Louis.
The Blues, third-place in the Central Division, enter the weekend in a comfortable playoff position at 35-19-9, three points behind the division-leading Dallas Stars.
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