This trade is so mind-blowing looking back on it nowadays. Thinking that the Oilers could have given up Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse only to trade 5 picks down in the draft for P.K. Subban is absolutely ridiculous. Montreal would have absolutely walked away the winners here, getting someone who is regarded as a top 5 or higher player in the entire league, and Darnell Nurse who despite his contract is definitely still a very good blue liner.
This is not even taking into consideration the fact that P.K. Subban only had 3 more good years in the NHL, then when he got paid on the Devils was widely considered the worst defenseman in the league. Especially at the contract he would've got, that would have obviously stifled any momentum the Oilers could have had, and they would have undoubtedly been stuck at the bottom of the league.
However, this entire trade rested on the fact that the Canadians could acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois at the fourth overall pick. But of course the Blue Jackets ended up taking PLD at the 3 spot, voiding out the trade for the unbelievably lucky Edmonton Oilers.
POLL | ||
JANVIER 9 | 337 ANSWERS Oilers nearly lost Leon Draisaitl in awful trade with another Canadian team Would Mcdavid have re-signed if this trade went through? | ||
Yes, he always wanted to be an Oiler | 155 | 46 % |
No, the future would've looked too terrible | 182 | 54 % |
List of polls |