2016 NHL Year in Review: Desperation, expectations created the worst trades of the year

Welcome back to our SB Nation NHL year in review!

In the last few days, we’ve brought you the most disappointing, most surprising players, and best trades of 2016. Now it’s time to look back at the moments you tried to forget the most. You know, those trades you wish your team had never made.

Including you, Gary Bettman.

Without further ado ...

Feb. 26, 2016

Blackhawks acquire: F Andrew Ladd, D Jay Harrison, F Matt Fraser

Jets acquire: F Marko Dano, 2016 1st-round pick, 2018 3rd-round pick

The Chicago Blackhawks knew they needed to add a scoring winger to make another run deep into the playoffs. The best one available was probably Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd. At that point he had 17 goals and 34 points in 54 games on a Jets team circling the drain and unwilling to meet his terms on a contract extension. Not too shabby.

So Chicago pulled the trigger, paying a pretty high sum for the veteran winger. And his production immediately dropped off: Ladd finished with 12 points in his 19 regular-season games in Chicago but only managed one goal and one assist in their seven-game playoff series with the St. Louis Blues. Chicago was eliminated, Ladd signed with the Islanders, and the Jets reaped the benefits.

Dano is a pretty good contributor. And through some draft-day trades, Winnipeg turned that first-round pick into two strong defensive prospects in Logan Stanley and Luke Green.

Feb. 28, 2016

New York Rangers acquire: F Eric Staal

Carolina Hurricanes acquire: F Aleksi Saarela, 2016 2nd-round pick, 2017 2nd-round pick

Depending on how the Hurricanes prospects develop, this might go down as the worst trade of 2016.

New York thought Staal was worth the risk, even though his numbers had declined rapidly as Carolina began their rebuilding process. To complete it, the Hurricanes shipped their best player in franchise history to the Rangers. It, uh, didn’t work out.

Staal was under-utilized in New York and struggled to adjust to his new surroundings. He was a resounding flop, with three goals and six points in 25 games (including a pointless playoff series). Since signing with the Wild, Staal has thrived again, making his tenure in New York all the more disappointing.

Meanwhile, Carolina’s system is healthier than ever thanks to the trade. Saarela finished 2015-16 with a strong season in Finland and is starting to heat up once again with a new Finnish team. He should make the jump to the AHL soon. Carolina traded that 2016 second-rounder to Chicago for Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen. Bickell is unfortunately battling multiple sclerosis, but Teravainen was one of the Blackhawks’ best prospects. Now he’s a big part of Carolina’s bright future.

Feb. 29, 2016

Colorado Avalanche acquire: F Mikkel Boedker

Arizona Coyotes acquire: F Alex Tanguay, F Conner Bleackley, D Kyle Wood

Maybe this shouldn’t have been disappointing. The warning signs were there: Boedker was never a prolific scorer. He was just speedy. But it was a lukewarm trade deadline market, so he became a Big Name.

He was a Big Flop. Acquired in part to help the Avalanche make the playoffs, Boedker put up four goals in 18 games and Colorado hit the draft lottery instead. His stint with the Sharks this season has gone even worse.

The Avalanche didn’t give up much for him, luckily. Tanguay is unsigned and probably nearing retirement. Bleackley didn’t sign with the Coyotes and re-entered the draft, where the Blues took him in the fifth round. Only Kyle Wood remains.

Feb. 29, 2016

Dallas Stars acquire: D Kris Russell

Calgary Flames acquire: D Jyrki Jokipakka, F Brett Pollock, 2016 conditional 2nd-round pick

Dallas was targeting two defensemen at the trade deadline: Canucks veteran Dan Hamhuis and Calgary veteran Kris Russell.

The deal with the Canucks fell through, so the Stars paid a high price to the Flames for Russell. Analytics people mocked it immediately; Russell is well-known for being a possession drain despite his penchant for blocking shots. In the playoffs, Russell and partner Jason Demers became a huge liability against the St. Louis Blues in the second round.

Dallas got bounced. Russell hit the free agency market. And nobody touched him for four months until the Oilers offered him a meager deal days before the regular season.

Meanwhile, in Calgary: Jokipakka is a serviceable bottom-pairing defenseman. Pollock is doing well in the AHL. And Flames took center Dillon Dube with Dallas’ pick. Also available at the time: winger Carl Grundstrom, winger Taylor Raddysh, goalie Evan Fitzpatrick, and winger Kasper Bjorkqvist. Sound familiar? All of them are big names at the World Juniors this year.

June 29, 2016

Montreal Canadiens acquire: D Shea Weber

Nashville Predators acquire: D P.K. Subban

Both teams seem to be happy with how this one turned out, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be disappointing.

P.K. Subban is a treasure. And he loved playing in Montreal as much as most Canadiens fans loved watching him play. That the management thought he needed to be moved for character reasons is baffling and ludicrous. It’s old-school hockey thinking at its worst and one of the big reasons the NHL is stuck on the fringes of mainstream sports fandom.

Anyways, that’s not the point. The point is that it sucks Subban and Montreal aren’t partners for life. Kids are crying, dammit!

Side note: this “parents taping their kids crying” trend is awful.

Jan. 15, 2016

Montreal Canadiens acquire: F John Scott, someone else

Arizona Coyotes acquire: who cares

NHL acquires: a public relations nightmare of their own making

The trade to end all trades.

John Scott was leading All-Star voting thanks to a funny internet campaign that just took off. He was named captain early in the week. Then, on Friday afternoon when nobody was looking (or so the NHL thought), he was traded to the Canadiens and stashed in the minor leagues, seemingly making him ineligible for the All-Star Game.

We (and many others) called the NHL out for what was an obviously blatant move to save face against fans making a mockery of a dumb, fun All-Star Game. Not to mention the fact Scott’s wife was pregnant at the time, making the trade into a human interest story. Scott himself called the timing of the trade “some pretty suspicious circumstances.”

The NHL let him play, but the damage to their image was done. This was the worst trade of 2016.