12 Biggest Deadline Deals (Oilers)
By Lowetide
13 years ago
This is Ron Low. A deadline deal that sent the big goalie to Edmonton for Ron Chipperfield was the first of many deadline deals made by the Oildrop. That deal–made just one day after the famous "Goring to the Island" trade–was a very important transaction in Edmonton’s NHL history. Is it one of the 12 biggest deadline deals in Oilers history? Read on.
- #12: March 11, 1980- Oilers trade C Ron Chipperfield to Quebec for G Ron Low. This is a quite famous trade for two reasons: first, the club badly needed goaltending help at the time and second Chipperfield’s Mom was gravely ill at the time of the trade. Low played well and the young Oilers thrilled the fanbase with an incredible playoff run.
- #11: March 20, 1996- Oilers trade R Kirk Maltby to Detroit fro D Dan McGillis. This turned out to be a set up deal (McGillis would be sent along a year later at the deadline) but the trade was an excellent one for both teams. The Oilers could use a deal like this one right now.
- #10: March 6, 1990- Oilers trade D Jeff Sharples to New Jersey for D Reijo Ruotsalainen. Do you remember Ruotsalainen as a player? If you saw him, it was impossible to forget him. People have their favorite memories of this player, but for me it was his incredible passing ability. He was stunning. Anyway, when he arrived in 1990 Ruotsalainen stepped right in and had a major impact on the team’s final successful Stanley run. Beauty player.
- #9: March 9, 2005: Oilers trade G Tommy Salo and a 6th rd pick in 2005 to Colorado for D Tom Gilbert. A terrific trade that gave the Oilers a bona fide top 4 defender. Although the fanbase is divided in regard to his career value, few Oiler fans can argue that this trade was quality.
- #8: March 23, 1999: Oilers deal a 2nd (2000) and 4th (1999) round pick to Toronto for D Jason Smith. Helluva timely deal, as Smith was run out of Toronto by Pat Quinn just in time to quickly become a dependable player and leader for the young Oilers. Blood and guts throwback won the hearts of every fan who ever saw him in Copper and Blue.
- #7: March 24, 1998: Oilers trade D Dan McGillis and their 1998 2nd rd pick to Philadelphia for D Janne Niinimaa. Wonderful deal for the Oilers, Niinimaa gave them his best 5 best seasons in the NHL and still had enough trade value at the end of it to garner Raffi Torres.
- #6: March 1994: Oilers trade C Craig MacTavish to New York Rangers for C Todd Marchant. The classic trade for a have-not team: deal a quality veteran who contributed to championships for a player who could (and did) replace the veteran for years to come. Lordy. Thanks Slats.
- #5: March 8, 2006- Oilers trade 2006 1st rd pick and 2007 3rd rd pick to Minnesota Wild for G Dwayne Roloson. A wonderful deal perfectly addressed a strong need and Roloson’s .927 SP during the Stanley run doesn’t begin to reflect his contribution. Will be remembered always for the San Jose save.
- #4: March 8, 1988- Oilers trade G Andy Moog to Boston for G Bill Ranford, L Geoff Courtnall and Boston’s 2nd rd pick in 1988. The pick didn’t amount to anything at the NHL level, but the payoff was a Conn Smyth goaler and a speed demon. Oilers won that trade going away, but there were an exceptional number of Oiler fans who were devastated by the way Moog’s Oiler career ended. You could say that about a few former Oilers.
- #3: March 18, 1997- Oilers trade L Miro Satan to Buffalo for L Barrie Moore and D Craig Millar. Biggest doesn’t mean best, and this one was the worst. Awful deadline deal made necessary because coach Ron Low didn’t see what Miro Satan would become. What a bad deal. I feel ill. The two players coming Edmonton’s way did not establish themselves as major leaguers. Satan? Over 320 NHL goals since the deal.
- #2: March 17, 1993- Oilers trade L Esa Tikkanen to New York Rangers for C Doug Weight. An absolute killer trade, one that rivals the Pronger deal (the one that got him here) as the best in Oilers’ history. I can’t begin to imagine the Edmonton Oilers in the 90s without Doug Weight.
- #1: February 27, 2007: Oilers trade L Ryan Smyth to NY Islanders for C Ryan O’Marra, L Robert Nilsson and their 2007 1st rd pick. The pick turned into D Alex Plante and the other two assets proved to be less than inspiring. Smyth was the face of the franchise and this trade more than anything else divided the organization from their fanbase. It is a fracture that remains to this day.
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