Mark Messier Trade Tree: Edmonton to New York

On Oct. 4, 1991, there was a trade to announce. The New York Rangers acquired Messier and Jeff Beukeboom from the Oilers for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice, David Shaw, and Louie DeBrusk. Messier headed to New York in a trade that changed the hockey landscape. He had worn the “C” for the Oilers in the final three seasons of his tenure since the departure of the “Great One,” so when he arrived in New York, the Rangers made him the team captain and hoped they could have him lead the team to success.

Messier’s Rangers Tenure

In New York, Messier became a living legend. Starting with 35 goals and 72 assists for 107 points in 79 games, Messier won the Pearson Award for the second time. However, it wasn’t the scoring that made him a Rangers icon. It was what he did away from the ice.

At the time of the Messier trade, the Rangers hadn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1940. Many outstanding Ranger teams had fallen at the final hurdle trying to capture the Cup, but none had crossed the line. In 1994, the Rangers were down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals to the New Jersey Devils when Messier made the promise: the Rangers would get to Game 7, and he scored a third-period hat trick to force Game 7, where the Rangers won the series. It led to the Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks where the Cup-winning goal was scored by none other than “The Messiah.”

Although he only played in six seasons during his first stint with the Rangers, he played 421 games, scoring 183 goals and 335 assists for 518 points, including a sixth-career Stanley Cup and a second Pearson. He left for a spell in Vancouver with the Canucks before returning to the Rangers in 2000. He retired as a Ranger after the 2003-04 season and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Rangers Side

We’ve seen Messier’s success as a Blueshirt, and we know he wasn’t dealt, meaning the most significant part of this trade tree dies here. But Beukeboom was also a piece of the Rangers’ 1994 success. Beukeboom spent eight seasons as a Ranger, scoring 18 goals and adding 72 assists for 90 points in 520 games. That’s not a lot of production for this player, so you can imagine what he was in the lineup to do.

As a Ranger, he amassed 1157 penalty minutes. Beukeboom was an enforcer during his tenure, which helped the Rangers win the Stanley Cup in 1994. However, his path to New York was a little convoluted since he was technically not named in the original trade but was deemed a worthy piece to be “future considerations” after the season’s first month. We traditionally think of future considerations as nothing, but this wasn’t the case back then. Since Beukeboom retired as a Ranger, that is the end of his branch.

New York’s Technicality

While Messier retired as a Ranger, it would be too clean a tree for that to be the only branch. In the early 2000s, the NHL awarded compensatory picks for departing unrestricted free agents when teams could not replace them in an attempt to grow hockey in smaller markets. The loophole with this is you could trade the player to a team and then sign that player in free agency, and they’d get an upgraded pick while you’d get an extra asset. New York did this with Messier when they traded him to the San Jose Sharks.

The return was just a fourth-round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Usually, wouldn’t expect anything to come of it, except the Rangers drafted Ryan Callahan with this pick. Yeah, that Ryan Callahan. Across 450 games with the Rangers, the former Blueshirts captain scored 186 goals and added 200 assists for 386 points over eight seasons. He was a player most Ranger fans adored before he was sent out the door.

Callahan was packaged with a 2014 first-round pick, a 2015 first-round pick, and a 2015 seventh-round pick and sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2015 second-round pick and Martin St. Louis. St. Louis only played 93 games as a Ranger, but he scored 22 goals and added 38 assists for 60 points. He retired after his Rangers tenure, but that’s an addition for the 2015 playoffs coming from the Messier trade in 1991.

As for the second-round pick the Rangers got, it was traded in a much larger deal. It was packaged with a 2016 first-round pick, Anthony Duclair, and John Moore, and sent to the Arizona Coyotes for Keith Yandle, Chris Summers, and a 2016 fourth-round pick. The 2016 4th-round pick was used on Tarmo Reunanen, who played four games with the Rangers, grabbing an assist, but he was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes for Maxim Letunov, who never played for the Blueshirts. Summers had just six games as a Ranger with no points before he left in free agency, meaning we have just Yandle’s branch to follow.

Yandle’s Branch

Yandle played two seasons with the Rangers, scoring seven goals and adding 51 assists for 58 points in 103 games before he was traded to the Florida Panthers for a 2016 sixth-round pick and a 2017 fourth-round pick. The sixth was used on Tyler Wall, who never made the NHL and was never dealt, but the 2017 fourth-round pick keeps us going. New York used the pick to trade down in the draft for an extra sixth-round pick in 2017. The new fourth-rounder was used on Brandon Crawley, who never made the NHL.

So we have just the sixth-round pick left on the Rangers’ side. For the second time in this tree, the Rangers hit on a late-round pick to extend the tree when they picked Morgan Barron. Barron played in 18 games with the Rangers, scoring once and adding one assist before he was dealt in a massive trade at the 2022 Trade Deadline. Barron was packaged with a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick and sent to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2023 sixth-round pick and Andrew Copp. Copp played 16 games as a Ranger, scoring eight goals and adding 10 assists for 18 points as he helped the Blueshirts reach the Eastern Conference Finals before he left in free agency.

As for the 2023 pick, the Rangers used it on prospect Dylan Roobroeck, who is still in the Rangers system. He’s not made the NHL yet, but he’s just 20 and has signed his entry-level contract. The Rangers could continue to push this trade tree further and grow the impact the Messier trade has had on the organization as an entity.

Oilers Side

Just a reminder, the Oilers got Nicholls, Rice, Shaw, and Louie DeBrusk. DeBrusk is the father of Vancouver Canucks forward Jake and often does coverage on Oilers games for Sportsnet, but he was quite the player in his time. In six seasons with the Oilers, DeBrusk played in 228 games with 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points accompanying his 797 penalty minutes. However, he wasn’t traded, leaving that branch to end.

Shaw’s path into this tree is also unique. Like Beukeboom, he was put into this deal after the fact via “future considerations,” which is weird. However, his move to Edmonton was confirmed 10 games into the season with New York, but his time in Edmonton wasn’t much longer. In just 12 games with the Oilers, Shaw had a goal and an assist before he was traded.

Shaw was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for Brian Glynn. Glynn spent two seasons in Northern Alberta, playing 89 games for the Oilers and scoring six goals and adding 18 assists for 24 points before being traded to the Ottawa Senators for an eight-round pick. Some newer fans may be confused since there are only seven rounds in the draft now, but that wasn’t always the case. That pick was used on Rob Guinn, who never made the NHL.

The Bernie Nicholls Branch

The third piece of the Messier trade is also the best player on the Oilers’ side. Nicholls is one of the most underrated players of the live-puck era, and he continued to show why he is so good in Edmonton. In just 95 games across two seasons, Nicholls scored 28 goals and added 61 assists with the Oilers for 89 points. However, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in early 1993 for Zdeno Ciger and Kevin Todd.

Ciger played in four seasons with the Oilers, scoring 64 goals and adding 91 assists for 155 points in 204 games. That’s an impressive stat total for a player who didn’t play in the NHL for the rest of the 20th century. He wasn’t traded either. Todd only played in 25 games with the Oilers, scoring four goals and adding nine assists before he was dealt. Todd was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Adam Bennett. Bennett played 48 games with the Oilers, recording three goals and six assists before he left the NHL, ending this branch.

Rice and the Technicality

Rice is another blast from the past that Oiler fans might remember. Over three seasons, he played 94 games with Edmonton, scoring 19 goals and adding 20 assists for 39 points. He didn’t fulfill the typical “enforcer” role when he played, more being a body to play lower down the lineup. He departed Edmonton for the Hartford Whalers, which is messy.

Rice wasn’t traded in the traditional sense, so this trade tree ends here. However, he got to Hartford via an offer sheet. Compensation is now picks, as we’ve seen with Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in recent years. At the time of Rice’s offer sheet, the Whalers offered the Oilers the late Bryan Marchment. It’s not technically part of this trade tree, but it does help paint a picture of what the Oilers gained overall from this tree.

Marchment played four seasons in Edmonton, scoring seven goals and adding 37 assists for 44 points in his 216 games. Marchment had 576 penalty minutes, which gives you a better indication of how he played the game. He was dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning alongside Steve Kelly and Jason Bonsignore for the rights to Paul Comrie and Roman Hamrlik.

Paul Comrie played only 15 games with the Oilers, scoring a goal and adding two assists before his career ended as he dealt with post-concussion syndrome. It’s a sad ending to what may have been a promising career. For those wondering, he is the half-brother of Jets netminder Eric Comrie.

Hamrlik’s career in Edmonton was respectable. As the first-overall pick in 1992, the Czech defenseman was expected to perform well with the Oilers. He scored 22 goals and added 81 assists for 103 points in 196 games across three seasons in Edmonton. In June of 2000, he was sent to the Islanders, and it is a trade that keeps us diving down the rabbit hole. Hamrlik was traded for Eric Brewer, Josh Green, and a second-round pick in 2000.

Josh Green played in 81 games in this stint with the Oilers, scoring 10 goals and adding seven assists for 17 points before he was traded to the Rangers for a conditional draft pick that was never met. The second-round pick was used to select Brad Winchester. Winchester played in 78 games with the Oilers, netting four goals and adding six assists before he was let go. He didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the Oilers, so that ends here. Now, we have Eric Brewer.

Eric Brewer’s Branch

Brewer played in 315 games with the Oilers, scoring 29 goals and adding 71 assists for 100 points. But that’s not what he did. Brewer finished his Oilers tenure with 210 penalty minutes, most of them for fighting. Those who love reading about trade trees may recognize the name Eric Brewer from another big trade the Oilers made, but Brewer was indeed traded out of Edmonton.

Brewer was traded to the St. Louis Blues along with Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka for Chris Pronger. The Hall of Fame defenseman won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, and James Norris was the best defenseman in the NHL in 2000. The Oilers hoped he could fix up their back.end. In his one season in Edmonton, Pronger had 12 goals and 44 assists in 80 games. He was excellent and led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final, where they were bested by the Carolina Hurricanes in seven, but things looked good for the franchise’s future.

After such success, the Oilers’ future seemed bright, but that wasn’t to be. After the season, Pronger snubbed the Oilers and requested a trade out of Alberta for family reasons. Some media reporters suggested his wife was unhappy, but it left the Oilers with a decision to make. Eventually, Pronger was moved on. Pronger was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid, a 2007 first-round pick, a 2008 first-round pick, and a 2008 second-round pick. Yeah, this is going to be a long trade tree.

Pronger’s Extended Branch

Lupul played only 81 games as an Oiler, but he scored 16 goals and added 12 assists for 28 points. He was traded with Jason Smith to the Philadelphia Flyers for Geoff Sanderson, Joni Pitkanen, and a 2009 third-round pick. That pick was used on Cameron Abney; he never made the NHL. Sanderson played 41 games as an Oiler, scoring three goals and assisting on 10 more for 13 points. He retired after the end of the season with Edmonton.

Pitkanen played 63 games as an Oiler, scoring eight goals and adding 18 assists before he was traded to Carolina for Erik Cole. Cole played only 63 games, scoring 16 goals and adding 11 assists, before he was sent back to Carolina with a 2009 fifth-round pick for a 2009 second-round pick and Patrick O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan played in two seasons as an Oiler, recording 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in 92 games. The second-round pick was traded to the Sabres for Ales Kotalik. In 19 games as an Oiler, Kotalik scored seven goals and added four assists but wasn’t traded, ending the Lupul branch.

Smid spent eight seasons with the Oilers, scoring 11 goals and adding 54 assists for 65 points in 474 games. He was packaged with Olivier Roy and sent to the Calgary Flames for Roman Horak and Laurent Brossoit. Horak spent two games as an Oiler, scoring a goal, before his branch ended. Brossoit played four seasons in Edmonton but only 28 games, with 20 starts. He posted a 7-13-2 record with a .897 save percentage and a 2.98 goals against average. He also wasn’t traded.

The Picks

The 2007 first-round pick was used to select Nick Ross. If you don’t remember the Oilers drafting him, they didn’t. They traded up in the first round to 21st overall, using that pick and a second-rounder that was used on Joel Gistedt. That 21st overall pick? Riley Nash. Nash was traded to Carolina before he ever played for the Oilers for a second-round pick in 2010. That was used on Martin Marincin. Marincin had a goal and 10 assists during his 85 games as an Oiler before he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Brad Ross and a 2015 fourth-round pick. That pick was traded with Travis Ewanyk to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Eric Gryba. Gryba had 114 games in Edmonton, scoring three goals and adding 11 assists before he left in free agency.

That 2008 second-round pick was used to select Travis Hamonic, but not by the Oilers. Edmonton traded that to the Islanders for a 2008 3rd-round pick and Allan Rourke. Rourke played 13 games as an Oiler and wasn’t traded, but that third-round pick is a pain to follow. It ended up with the Islanders after being sent back to the Ducks for compensation for Dustin Penner.

Then we get to the reason this trade tree continues. The Oilers used the 2008 first-rounder on Jordan Eberle. It’s not the flashiest name in a trade tree, but the Oilers got a lot of service out of Eberle during his time in Alberta. Across seven seasons in Edmonton, Eberle played in 507 games, scoring 165 goals and adding 217 assists for 382 points. Eberle was traded to the Islanders for Ryan Strome in June 2017. Strome spent parts of two seasons in Edmonton, scoring 14 goals and adding 22 assists for 36 points in 100 games. He was traded to the New York Rangers for Ryan Spooner.

Spooner played just 25 games as an Oiler, scoring twice and adding one assist before he was traded out of town, too. Spooner was sent to the Canucks for Sam Gagner. Gagner had three tours of duty with the Oilers, but this was just the middle one, where he played 61 games, scoring 10 goals and adding 12 assists. Gagner was traded in 2020, with a 2020 2nd-round pick and a 2021 first-round pick, to the Detroit Red Wings for Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Kuffner. Kuffner never played for the Oilers, and Athanasiou was a rental for the 2020 playoffs. He only had nine games in Edmonton, scoring once and adding an assist, before he left, ending this trade tree.

Overall

It’s incredible how a trade involving Mark Messier led to the Rangers getting Martin St. Louis and the Oilers getting Pronger. If you believe that this tree’s two technicalities shouldn’t apply, you have a valid standpoint. However, the impact on these two organizations has been clear for many years. New York won the Stanley Cup in 1994 because of this tree, with the star playing the most significant part. Edmonton’s dynasty collapsed after Messier moved on, and they’ve been chasing the glory of the 1980s ever since.

It’s rare to see a trade tree where you can pinpoint a moment that changed NHL history. Messier’s trade tree does that. Because of this deal, New York ended a 54-year Stanley Cup drought to exorcise the demons of Red Dutton’s curse and the curse of 1940. Edmonton has been chasing the success of that Oilers roster ever since and has only recently gotten anything like the talent they traded away here. The way we look at the league changed with this trade.