The interesting thing is that probably not many GMs would have traded Forsberg for Lindros straight across, never mind with all those other players... with hindsight thrown in, of course.
The packages that were put on the table are mind-blowing. In today's world I don't think you'd see deals like that put together even for Crosby and Ovechkin because of cap concerns and roster limits.
You look at that package the Flames offered and you think wow that was a lot. Than you look at the other packages and the Flames weren't even close. In the end I think the Flyers package was the best offer with hindsight, so they did make the right deal.
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Flames got Steve Chaisson for Vernon. Not a terrible deal, as I think Vernon wanted out and Trevor Kidd and his awesome Mullet were the talk of the town.
Wow, really? You guys don't think Cam Neely was better than Lindros? Did I miss something about Lindros that everyone else saw?
Neely was Iginla on steroids.
(Well, without actually taking steroids of course.)
Edit: Obligatory youtube clip:
Edit: Admittedly, there's a chance that I'm biased against Lindros. I've never really thought about it much, but it's possible. Also, I know for a fact that I am biased in favour of Neely.
The guy's peak was unmatched by anyone except the most elite players in the history of the league. His peak was reached at the age of 25 and then sidelined due to injury. Arguably he hadn't even reached his peak at that time.
That was no way that Lindros was overrated with that expectations after the draft. He was a modern Gordie Howe maligned by serious injuries. An unstoppable physical goal scoring beast when on his game.
Agreed. There is a reason this guy is borderline HOF. During his prime, he was THE BEST in the league. And this is with #99 and #66 still playing. Don't let his last couple of seasons fool you. Had he stayed injury free, we might be looking at one of the top 20-30 players of all time. Never before had the league seen a player with such a great combination of skill, scoring, toughness and physicality. A shame he couldn't learn to keep his head up.
If he came to Calgary, you could argue his career would have lasted a little longer, due to not having to play Scott Steves/Ulf Samuelsson so many times a season.
I still remember the Elston cartoon, where Dave King, wearing his 'Super Dave' outfit, complete with helmet, demands Reisbourough remember shaking Quebec's hand at the draft. Couldn't find it online.
The knock against Lindros was that his brain couldn't keep up with his body. He shortened his career by trying to skate right through grown men in the NHL the way he used to skate through boys in junior. With some of the plays he tried to make, he was just asking for injuries.
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The Legion of Doom line was unstoppable. John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Mikael Renberg on most nights were just a treat to watch.
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Originally Posted by Zulu29
Dude when it comes to the Canucks, it could be a team of Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Augusto Pinochet, Josef Stalin and Kim Jong Il and if one of them scores against the Canucks you take it.
That's sheer insanity, especially how his career turned out. I've always thought Lindros was overrated and man am I glad the Flames didn't make that deal.
Agreed that's insane, and speaks to how much hype the guy had coming into the league. Remember the "Next One" nickname? Although, one thing I can't help but notice is that within 3 years after this, all 3 of the players we offered were no longer Flames. So it may not have turned out so bad after all. We would've missed out on two division titles and three first round exits(two in game 7 OT). That'd be a shame not to have those painful memories..
Lindros was overrated, but I still think he had a decent career. The guy did win a Hart so its not like he was a total bust, just fell short of expectations and struggled with conky's like his brother.
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