I believe in the Pony Power
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TBT - CPHL Style!
I thought it would be fun to debut a new feature that I’ll try to do regularly. CPHL Throwback Thursdays.
In this piece we will trace the history of players in the CPHL – re-visiting the various trades that led them to where they are now.
In this edition we look at one of the best players in the CPHL – Sidney Crosby.
Drafted: St. Louis Blues (1st overall)
Trade #1 (June 2, 2008):
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
- Thornton, Joe (C) NHL
- Nabokov, Evgeni (G) NHL
Team: St. Louis Blues
- Emery, Ray (G) NHL
- Crosby, Sidney (C) NHL
Analysis: Looking at this now it seems like a slam dunk for the Pens, and in the long-run it probably was. But when the deal was made Joe Thornton was one of the best players in the NHL and CPHL and still had many productive years ahead of him. In addition, Nabakov was a legit #1. The Blues used the deal to get a premium centre and a #1 tender, while the Pens were able to bring in one of the most valuable assets in the league.
Trade # 2 (Feb 3, 2009):
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
- Pahlsson, Samuel (C) NHL
- Crosby, Sidney (C) NHL
- Tedenby, Mattias (LW) ECHL
Team: Anaheim Mighty Ducks
- Brown, Dustin (LW) NHL
- Richards, Mike (C) NHL
- Halak, Jaroslav (G) AHL
- 2009 3rd Round Draft Choice (phi)
- 2010 1st Round Draft Choice (col)
Analysis: Interesting deal to look back at now. The Ducks get Crosby but also a defensive stalwart in Pahlsson. Tedenby was a blue chip prospect that would never turn out. The Pens bring in a bevy of assets but nothing anywhere near the value of Crosby. Richards at the time, in particular, had huge value as he had yet to suffer the offensive tailspin that has resulted in him being a 4th liner in LA. Not sure who the picks brought in.
Trade # 3 (Oct 7, 2009)
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
- Chara, Zdeno (D) NHL
- Richards, Mike (C) NHL
- Kostitsyn, Andrei (LW) NHL
- Bogosian, Zach (D) ECHL
Team: Anaheim Mighty Ducks
- Pronger, Chris (D) NHL
- Crosby, Sidney (C) NHL
- Brouwer, Troy (RW) NHL
Analysis: A couple of interesting wrinkles here. One – for the 2nd time in less than a year Mike Richards is dealt in a swap for Sidney Crosby. The deal also sees two premium dmen exchange places with Chara and Pronger flipping.
The Pens give up a couple other nice pieces. Kostitsyn would have some productive years before bolting to Russia, while Anaheim also nets a premium prospect in Bogosian.
But wait these two teams aren’t done yet!
Trade # 4 (Jan 29, 2011)
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
- Stortini, Zack (LW) NHL
- Crosby, Sidney (C) NHL
Team: Anaheim Mighty Ducks
- Cammalleri, Mike (LW) NHL
- Yip, Brandon (RW) NHL
- Kane, Patrick (LW) NHL
- 2011 1st Round Draft Choice (phi)
Analysis: This one appears to favor the Pens, as the Ducks give up Kane, who isn’t far below Crosby plus a 1st + a good veteran scorer. Anaheim also takes on Huggy Bear which makes the deal that much worse for them.
Trade #5 (June 29, 2011)
Team: Anaheim Mighty Ducks
- Daley, Trevor (D) NHL
- Crosby, Sidney (C) NHL
Team: Minnesota Wild
- Edler, Alexander (D) NHL
- Stamkos, Steve (C) NHL
- Armia, Joel (RW) ECHL
- 2012 3rd Round Draft Choice (buf)
The Ducks do well here given that Stamkos and Crosby are pretty close as arguably two of the top 3 or 4 forwards in the game. Anaheim gains on the Edler/Daley exchange while adding Joel Armia – who may or may not turn out. A better prospect to Anaheim would have made this deal a complete steal for the Ducks.
The Wild end up keeping Crosby longer than anyone – over 3 years – before making the following deal:
Trade #6 (Oct 7, 2014)
Team: Philadelphia Flyers
- Eller, Lars (C) NHL
- Beagle, Jay (RW) NHL
- Tarasenko, Vlad (RW) NHL
- Lindholm, Elias (C) ECHL
- Milano, Sonny (C) ECHL
- 2015 1st Round Draft Choice (stl)
- 2015 2nd Round Draft Choice (cmb)
Team: Minnesota Wild
- Bernier, Steve (RW) NHL
- Crosby, Sidney (C) NHL
- Kruger, Marcus (C) NHL
- Ruhwedel, Chad (D) AHL
- Aube-Kubel, Nicolas (C) AHL
Analysis: Far too early to tell – but the deal could come down to how good Tarasenko ends up being and how high the St. Louis pick lands at.
So there you have it folks – from St. Louis to Philly – the trade history of #87.
I welcome suggestions on who the next player should be.
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