Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
Got a lot more for Hull than a rental.
And it was for a first drink out of the challice
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Yep. Not only was Wamsley the back up we needed, Rob Ramage was an all star for St. Louis at the time. Hell of a player.
We had to move a young player or prospect with upside. The choices:
Roberts (just cracking the NHL at the time, more of a good when first brought up)
Niewendyk (calder winning Joe and his 51 goals)
Suter (Calder winning Gary and his 91 points)
Fleury (no one wanted him at the time)
or Hull (who was close to a ppg player through 52 games, but constantly in the coach's doghouse)
the next season's playoffs sees Suter go down first round with a spleen injury. Fleury gets a shot at first powerplay unit d with MacInnis but is too much of a liability. Within 2 or 3 games he is replaced by Ramage as the first unit power play D-man with MacInnis.
So yes, we traded Brett Hull, but we got back an all star defenceman who was asked to play a rough and tumble game on the third pairing most of the year, who then stepped his game up big time in the subsequent post season.
And we won the Cup.
It's a trade you do again in a heartbeat. And if you don't, then you step back and think which of the other young prospects do you give up for an all star defenceman and back up goalie that can win you 17 out of 32 starts? (35 games played in the season including relief appearances)
Suter?
Roberts?
Nieuwendyk?
It shows how unreal our drafting and scouting were at the time.