In this article, I wanted to cover some of the worst trades in the recent history of the Montreal Canadiens. I won’t rehash older ones such as Patrick Roy, Pierre Turgeon or Vincent Damphousse as those are long gone and have not really had any recent impact. So the following are the five worst moves the Habs have recently made.
1-Mikhail Sergachev to the Tampa Bay Lighting for Jonathan Drouin June 15th, 2017
The Habs were in desperate need for a number one centre and Bergevin thought Jonathan Drouin was the answer. While he is an outstanding player and tremendous playmaker, he was not the answer. What made matters worse was that Sergachev blossomed into one of the best offensive defensemen in the league putting up 326 points in 578 games while helping the Lightning win back to back cups in 2020 and in 2021 against Montreal (of course!). Meanwhile Drouin was unfortunately riddled with injuries and inconsistent play. He has since found his groove with two seasons with the Avalanche and this year with the Islanders, so good for him.
2-Ryan McDonagh to the New York Rangers for Scott Gomez June 30th 2019
Again, the Habs needed a top line centre and they targeted Scott Gomez. While he had some amazing years with the Devils and Rangers, this never really translated to Montreal. Much like Drouin, Gomez was an amazing playmaker but not one to put up many goals. I actually enjoyed watching play as his hockey IQ was through the roof but his best days were behind him. Meanwhile, McDonagh became one of the best all around defensemen and leaders in the NHL. Also, ironically enough, helped the Lighting win back to back cups with Sergachev in 2020 and in 2021 against Montreal…yep.
3-Mike Ribeiro to the Dallas Stars for Janne Niinimaa on September 30th 2006
The Habs actually had some depth and centre at this juncture with Koivu and Plekanec starting his career so they thought it was a good idea to move on from Ribeiro. Now, it must be said, I think off ice issues with Ribeiro contributed to this deal being made as recent events have shown. However Ribeiro was an amazing hockey player and went on to have career years in Dallas, notably one with 83 points, finishing his career (oddly it must be said) with 793 points in 1074 games, not too shabby. Meanwhile Niinimaa was just plain terrible from Montreal and only played 41 with the Habs before calling it quits on his NHL career. The fact that Ribeiro needed to be traded might be true, but the return was pathetic for a player of his talent.
4-P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber June 29th 2016
Ok, before flipping the keyboard, hear me out. In terms of on ice talent, this was a fair deal. Shea Weber was an amazing all around defender and a very well respected leader in the dressing room. And man….what a shot. He was a huge reason the Habs were able to reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. So I’m not disputing talent. However, the day the trade was made I did not like that we were trading a 26 year old superstar entering the prime of his career for a 30 year old Weber whose body was already banged up and slowing down. This proved to be true as Weber was often out of the lineup for the Habs with various injuries which forced his early retirement. To his credit however, he played through a lot so he does have all my respect. Ironically Subban retired early also but I really do think this was from a broken heart as he should have been a Hab for life. He had given everything to Montreal through charity work, never ever taking a game off and becoming a fan favourite. I actually read the news on Hockeybuzz and have yet to forgive Ek for putting me through that.
5-Letting Saku Koivu Walk to the Duck July 8th 2009
After being with the Habs for 13 seasons, the Habs brass decided not to offer Koivu a contract, allowing him to leave while getting nothing in return. This move broke my heart as he is one of my favourite players of all time, and I thought that him not playing his entire career in Montreal was a travesty. I think keeping him would have been a benefit to the team, and while I get they wanted to do a rebuild, I think Saku should have been part of it. And if not, they should have found a way to receive something for him in order to really kickstart the rebuild as he still had a lot of value. A sign and trade would have been the route to take here if the goal is rebuilding your team.
In my next article, I will discuss the 5 best trades in recent Habs history.
What are your thoughts? Which recent trade do you think was the worst?