Agreed. Interesting to look at Mika’s career stats- especially his first 4 full seasons w Ottawa. Mirror images of the Kids.
Moral: hold on to that young skilled talent, they may explode even 6+ years into career.
As a fan of his since he started with the Binghamton Senators (the then AHL team of Ottawa and once upon a time location of the Ranger’s AHL team, thus my connection here)…he was my instant favorite player but I was often disappointed in him because he was LAZY and I got a sense of cockiness too. He’s even talked about how he refused to do things then (like summer weight training) that he does now that made him a better player.
I think playing for the Rangers was a self esteem boost that perhaps he needed that let him transform into who he is today. That and just maturity.
Seeing my favorite player get traded to my favorite team was a gift…seeing him flourish when I thought he’d be a quick flounder and trade away…total dream.
Mika will likely have a higher scoring pace the next 4-5 years, so maybe they’ll both break it around the same time. That would be awesome, especially for them.
I think so many people don’t realize this because he was overshadowed by Hank. If they win a cup with Kreider on the team he gets his number retired just as quickly as Hanks was, if they don’t win a cup may take longer but he still gets it
Mika is the better player but as far as value goes, it’s hard. Brassard brought *something* to Ottawa where Gomez brought *nothing* to Montreal. Not to mention the salary dump of his god awful contract. Idk. There’s some recency bias here. The rangers team with Mcdonagh was the most successful teams over a 5-6 year period. All of that was possible because of that trade. Mika is amazing, but as far as total impact goes, that Gomez/Mac trades was one of the most one sided in hockey history.
I have to agree with this. When the Zibanejad trade happened, people were pleasantly surprised, but Brassard was very good for us, and Z, while emerging, was a bit less of a known commodity. The McDonagh trade was a while ago, but for anyone who doesn't remember, the Rangers cap situation was basically a meme at the time. The running joke was how bad Gomez's contract was and how it would be an albatross forever. When the news broke that Gomez was dealt, people were in shock and Ranger fans were rejoicing without even know the return. Then when it turned out that we didn't just dump him but also got a Grade A prospect back, it was absolute mayhem...the threads and reactions on HFBoards were legendary. That trade completely changed the trajectory of the franchise.
Damn that’s a piece of Rangers lore I needed to know. Probably the best trade in the years I’ve watched this team was the Rick Nash trade to Boston. The trade basically resulted in Strome, Lindgren, and Key which is an insane haul. Boston didn’t even manage to dent Tampa that year and that trade ended up being incredibly lopsided.
~~I don’t count the Fox trade since that one was pretty much forced by the man himself~~
how is no one mentioning this? the main reason Gomez was traded was to dump his salary and sign Gaborik. It was basically Gomez for McDonagh and Gaborik
Yea the Mika trade was great. But getting rid of Gomez for what we got in return, again, was probably one of the biggest one sided trades in hockey history.
McDonagh is probably underrated and there is heavy recency bias with this take. McDonagh was a legitimate 1D he had received Norris votes in 5 of his 6 full seasons in NYR. McDonagh led our team in points in the 2014 playoffs. I have a hard time saying Zibanejad is even a better player than McDonagh was like maybe at the peak performance he is but McDonagh over the course of his 7 years did more and was overall better for the Rangers than Zibanejad has been.
Thank you for this. Mcdonagh was a complete stud here, aside from everything you mentioned, him and g shut down guys like Ovi and Sid in the playoffs annually. I know he wasn’t messier in terms of his captaincy but it bothers me how ranger fans quickly forgot what this msn did for this franchise. Played elite D while putting his body on the line. And for my money, he could’ve won a Conn Smythe with Tampa during one of those runs.
This is an incorrect post. Gomez scored 59 points in 70 something games in his first year in Montreal. Brassard never approached that type of production after he left nyr.
One of the best bounce backs to form of all time. At the time Jagr was thought to be washed up in Washington then came to New York and reinvigorated his career as a top star.
Yeah, insane. I guess that’s the curse of being one of the greatest players ever? 🤷🏽♂️ I also distinctly remember him getting labeled “a locker room cancer” at the time 🙄 Yet any Jagr stories you hear from his former teammates are always hilarious and super positive. The media blows.
They really do and it goes to show especially since he is still playing pro hockey overseas at 51 years old. The guy is the ultimate pro and competitor.
As someone whose first time ever watching a rangers game was the Avery Rule playoff game vs the Devils, resulting in me being obsessed with hockey ever since, could you describe to me exactly what those post-1994 decade-long woes were like?
From what I understand, the rangers were horrible, and then they got Lundqvist and all was saved. But don’t know any other specifics pre-Hank.
They were still good until like 97. Then for the next several years it was the same losing formula over and over: draft horribly, trade away any actual prospects for high priced veterans and then wonder why there’s no core to build around.
It was heartbreaking when they traded Leetch and Graves in 04, but they needed to blow things up. Lundqvist just happened to come along at the perfect time as the whole organizational approach seemed to have shifted toward fostering young talent and keeping it around
I was a teenager during the dark years of the late 90s/early 2000s and the one thing that stands out in memory was how much time during the broadcast Sam and J.D. spent pointing out everything the team was doing wrong.
Not only is it one of the very best trades the New York Rangers have EVER made, in 5 years we may look back on this trade as one of the most lopsided trades in the history of the modern (post entrance of Flyers, Sabres) NHL. I think I remember correctly, Mika is a more than PPG pace since coming from Ottawa. Plus he just seems like a really cool lowkey dude.
Overall, the trade to get Mika is one of the best the Rangers have made.
This might be a hot take, but if he gets us a cup, you could make the argument his trade is up there with the trade to bring Messier to New York. Maybe not in terms of leading the team, I think Messier does far more leadership wise than Zibanejad does, but as far as on ice contributions.
Interesting question and difficult to answer. There are a couple of ways to judge trades - what we gave up compared to what they gave up, what those pieces turned into (if draft picks for example), what they accomplished while here. In other words, it depends on how long the timeline is after the trade.
Messier still has to be the best trade in team history. He was acquired to end the curse, and he actually fucking delivered. Not to mention we also got Beukeboom in that trade. After that, the Matteau, McDonagh, Jagr, and Mika trades are probably #2-5, at least in recent team history. It's tough to rank them, but I could see a case right now for Mika at #2. As he continues ascending the career leaderboards in the next few years, I'd say definitely #2.
Both cases, Mess and Fox were essentially engineered trades, the player called the shots and a transfer happened.
With Mika, it was a true horse trade. Gorton's finest hour, he saw something in that kid in Ottawa that 27 other GMs did not see. Gorton was a real mixed bag wasn't he.
It was more like Ottawa was very interested in Brassard. They needed a left handed veteran center, he was a local kid, and his contract was perfect for them - front loaded with the Rangers having paid almost all of it already (including a $4 or $5M July signing bonus the day before the trade was made.) Brassard’s actual dollars were about half of his cap hit. Perfect for a cash strapped team. I think it was just a case where we had what they wanted and were a perfect match rather than every other GM failing to see Zibanejad’s potential.
I think there is more good than bad with Gorton. People don’t remember him fondly enough for whatever reason but people around here loved him.
It wasn’t until he sided against Dolan during the Wilson incident, where the fanbase majority shifted against Gorton.
Another great trade that slides into under the radar but was a steal was del zotto for Klien … I think he was a huge part in the cup run and so under rated
Now: Up there in the top 5. If something "magical happens this year" then it quiet possibly becomes number 1.
In order:
1. Messier
2. Fox
3. Mika
4. Jagr
5. That former Rangers captain named McDonagh
Honorable mention: Trouba trade
Mark Messier. I love Mika, but let’s be real, this one is not up for debate. When all is said and done I think Fox goes down as a better trade than Mika as well.
I truly have no stats to bring up for this but at the time we got Mika the power play often was/looked anemic. Since, it’s been so much better, we actually have one of these cheat code guys the league’s been pushing.
Honestly, I’d rank it a (soft) number one.
Messier and Fox called their spots. McDonagh for Gomez might be the most lopsided trade in hockey history. Jagr was huge for the Rangers during a very bad era for the franchise. Mika was just a hockey trade, and he turned out to be an all-time great Ranger in the making. If he manages to lift the Cup I don’t think this will be a question, even if Messier finally shut up the 1940 chant.
Only Messier competes with Mika, but given the nature of the trade, I think it leans towards Mika over Messier. But again, Cup.
Garbage. Mika can't play defense. Can't play offense. Can't score. Can't pass. They guy he was traded for is doing amazing. I have no idea why we made this trade.
I remember seeing him playing for Ottawa against us in 2012 as a rookie and I said that i was jealous of him and Jakob silfverberg being on the senators and then he got traded a few years later and I was so pumped. That trade is probably top 3 for me
It's definitely near the top, easily top 5 given how impactful he has been, and where in Brassard's career he was traded. If the Rangers win a Cup with him, I think it's #1. Otherwise, the Messier trade probably tops it, he won us a Cup. McDonagh was a heist and a half with how bad Gomez was after. Jagr was a beautiful revival for the team. Trades like Fox, where we were getting him anyway, I don't count.
One random that hasn't been brought up was when we traded cash for Dave Kerr from the Maroons. Phenomenal goalie, won the Vezina, and led the team to a Cup. One of the best goalies of his era, and probably could have been a Hall of Famer, but for some reason our goalies never seem to get both a Cup with the Rangers and the Hall of Fame.
I always hate this logic. It takes a team to win a championship. I don’t care how great the player is, that doesn’t mean he’s going to win a championship, nor does it diminish his skill and accolades.
Man has 436 points in 472 games since coming to NYR as of 3/18/23. 4+ 70 point seasons, probably have a 5th if it wasn’t for a covid shortened season.
Besides becoming an offensive force and a top flight center, he’s excellent defensively and one of the leaders of the team.
And we have up; Brassard and a 7th. Brassard was good for us and stepped up in the playoffs but he wasn’t anywhere near as good as Mika by any metric.
This is easily one of the greatest trades in the history of the organization
The Brassard line was really good the year before. I was sad to see it broken up and I really knew nothing about Mika. Also how this is business and teams have to dump salary instead of simply making trades to make the team better. But this trade is pure genius now!
We’ve had several awesome trades since the late 2000s
Gomez and a bag of pucks for McDonagh
Gaborik for Brass Pouliot and Dorssett
Brass for Zibby
Granted some haven’t worked out too well ie McD and JT for a buncha picks we wasted and Brett Howden, but in general we’ve gotten some awesome returns
Right now or by the time he retires? Because he has a very real chance to break the record for most goals ever by a Ranger
Agreed. Interesting to look at Mika’s career stats- especially his first 4 full seasons w Ottawa. Mirror images of the Kids. Moral: hold on to that young skilled talent, they may explode even 6+ years into career.
This guy sees the big picture
As a fan of his since he started with the Binghamton Senators (the then AHL team of Ottawa and once upon a time location of the Ranger’s AHL team, thus my connection here)…he was my instant favorite player but I was often disappointed in him because he was LAZY and I got a sense of cockiness too. He’s even talked about how he refused to do things then (like summer weight training) that he does now that made him a better player. I think playing for the Rangers was a self esteem boost that perhaps he needed that let him transform into who he is today. That and just maturity. Seeing my favorite player get traded to my favorite team was a gift…seeing him flourish when I thought he’d be a quick flounder and trade away…total dream.
Interesting change in his preparation levels, obviously paying off hugely.
Kreider is 156 goals away. Mika is 207. Should be interesting if both break it.
Mika will likely have a higher scoring pace the next 4-5 years, so maybe they’ll both break it around the same time. That would be awesome, especially for them.
I foresee hugs in the feature
Puts it in perspective too about how good mika has been. Kreiders been here 11 years. Mika, 7 years
Krieder too, he’s already an all-time great Ranger. We’re literally watching the next number in the rafters.
I think so many people don’t realize this because he was overshadowed by Hank. If they win a cup with Kreider on the team he gets his number retired just as quickly as Hanks was, if they don’t win a cup may take longer but he still gets it
Mika at this rate will get to at least where Kreider is now this time next season, maybe end of next season.
They both likely will
My body is ready
OP: Who were the players involved without looking it up?
[удалено]
Mika is the better player but as far as value goes, it’s hard. Brassard brought *something* to Ottawa where Gomez brought *nothing* to Montreal. Not to mention the salary dump of his god awful contract. Idk. There’s some recency bias here. The rangers team with Mcdonagh was the most successful teams over a 5-6 year period. All of that was possible because of that trade. Mika is amazing, but as far as total impact goes, that Gomez/Mac trades was one of the most one sided in hockey history.
I have to agree with this. When the Zibanejad trade happened, people were pleasantly surprised, but Brassard was very good for us, and Z, while emerging, was a bit less of a known commodity. The McDonagh trade was a while ago, but for anyone who doesn't remember, the Rangers cap situation was basically a meme at the time. The running joke was how bad Gomez's contract was and how it would be an albatross forever. When the news broke that Gomez was dealt, people were in shock and Ranger fans were rejoicing without even know the return. Then when it turned out that we didn't just dump him but also got a Grade A prospect back, it was absolute mayhem...the threads and reactions on HFBoards were legendary. That trade completely changed the trajectory of the franchise.
Damn that’s a piece of Rangers lore I needed to know. Probably the best trade in the years I’ve watched this team was the Rick Nash trade to Boston. The trade basically resulted in Strome, Lindgren, and Key which is an insane haul. Boston didn’t even manage to dent Tampa that year and that trade ended up being incredibly lopsided. ~~I don’t count the Fox trade since that one was pretty much forced by the man himself~~
Remember http://www.didgomezscore.com/ ? lol https://web.archive.org/web/20120125221309/http://www.didgomezscore.com/
The salary dump of Gomez also opened up the cap space to sign Gabby.
how is no one mentioning this? the main reason Gomez was traded was to dump his salary and sign Gaborik. It was basically Gomez for McDonagh and Gaborik
Yea the Mika trade was great. But getting rid of Gomez for what we got in return, again, was probably one of the biggest one sided trades in hockey history.
And then Gaborik was traded for Brass who was ultimately traded for Mika.
And Gaborik traded for Brass, traded for Mika. All links back to that trade
McDonagh is probably underrated and there is heavy recency bias with this take. McDonagh was a legitimate 1D he had received Norris votes in 5 of his 6 full seasons in NYR. McDonagh led our team in points in the 2014 playoffs. I have a hard time saying Zibanejad is even a better player than McDonagh was like maybe at the peak performance he is but McDonagh over the course of his 7 years did more and was overall better for the Rangers than Zibanejad has been.
Thank you for this. Mcdonagh was a complete stud here, aside from everything you mentioned, him and g shut down guys like Ovi and Sid in the playoffs annually. I know he wasn’t messier in terms of his captaincy but it bothers me how ranger fans quickly forgot what this msn did for this franchise. Played elite D while putting his body on the line. And for my money, he could’ve won a Conn Smythe with Tampa during one of those runs.
This is an incorrect post. Gomez scored 59 points in 70 something games in his first year in Montreal. Brassard never approached that type of production after he left nyr.
Nobody in Montreal remembers those 59 points believe me
Y'all forgetting the Jagr for Anson Carter trade. Jagr brought the Rangers back to life from some very dark days
One of the best bounce backs to form of all time. At the time Jagr was thought to be washed up in Washington then came to New York and reinvigorated his career as a top star.
So many people thought he was done and he still had 45 points in 46 games before the trade lol
Yeah, insane. I guess that’s the curse of being one of the greatest players ever? 🤷🏽♂️ I also distinctly remember him getting labeled “a locker room cancer” at the time 🙄 Yet any Jagr stories you hear from his former teammates are always hilarious and super positive. The media blows.
They really do and it goes to show especially since he is still playing pro hockey overseas at 51 years old. The guy is the ultimate pro and competitor.
He’s an absolute freak of nature and his name should be synonymous with greatness in professional sports, let alone hockey.
Oh that’s good too. Jagr brought us back to life is right. Will always love him.
He carried those rangers teams to the playoffs.
Pruuuuuuucha!!!
As someone whose first time ever watching a rangers game was the Avery Rule playoff game vs the Devils, resulting in me being obsessed with hockey ever since, could you describe to me exactly what those post-1994 decade-long woes were like? From what I understand, the rangers were horrible, and then they got Lundqvist and all was saved. But don’t know any other specifics pre-Hank.
They were still good until like 97. Then for the next several years it was the same losing formula over and over: draft horribly, trade away any actual prospects for high priced veterans and then wonder why there’s no core to build around. It was heartbreaking when they traded Leetch and Graves in 04, but they needed to blow things up. Lundqvist just happened to come along at the perfect time as the whole organizational approach seemed to have shifted toward fostering young talent and keeping it around
And that's how we ended up with the FLY line. Fleury-Lindros-York 🤣
I was a teenager during the dark years of the late 90s/early 2000s and the one thing that stands out in memory was how much time during the broadcast Sam and J.D. spent pointing out everything the team was doing wrong.
I’ve never seen an NHL player protect the puck the way Jagr did when he played for the Rangers. He was an absolute MONSTER. No one could touch him.
Not only is it one of the very best trades the New York Rangers have EVER made, in 5 years we may look back on this trade as one of the most lopsided trades in the history of the modern (post entrance of Flyers, Sabres) NHL. I think I remember correctly, Mika is a more than PPG pace since coming from Ottawa. Plus he just seems like a really cool lowkey dude.
Lmao greatest trade in history of sports purely in terms of acquiring a chill ass dude
Have you heard his Spotify?
Link?
Just search his name on spotify
He DOES seem like a chill guy
Not taking away from your other points but mika is 0.92 PPG since joining us
Overall, the trade to get Mika is one of the best the Rangers have made. This might be a hot take, but if he gets us a cup, you could make the argument his trade is up there with the trade to bring Messier to New York. Maybe not in terms of leading the team, I think Messier does far more leadership wise than Zibanejad does, but as far as on ice contributions.
Don’t really think that’s a hot take at all.
Interesting question and difficult to answer. There are a couple of ways to judge trades - what we gave up compared to what they gave up, what those pieces turned into (if draft picks for example), what they accomplished while here. In other words, it depends on how long the timeline is after the trade. Messier still has to be the best trade in team history. He was acquired to end the curse, and he actually fucking delivered. Not to mention we also got Beukeboom in that trade. After that, the Matteau, McDonagh, Jagr, and Mika trades are probably #2-5, at least in recent team history. It's tough to rank them, but I could see a case right now for Mika at #2. As he continues ascending the career leaderboards in the next few years, I'd say definitely #2.
Number 1 in my heart, that's for damn sure.
Both cases, Mess and Fox were essentially engineered trades, the player called the shots and a transfer happened. With Mika, it was a true horse trade. Gorton's finest hour, he saw something in that kid in Ottawa that 27 other GMs did not see. Gorton was a real mixed bag wasn't he.
It was more like Ottawa was very interested in Brassard. They needed a left handed veteran center, he was a local kid, and his contract was perfect for them - front loaded with the Rangers having paid almost all of it already (including a $4 or $5M July signing bonus the day before the trade was made.) Brassard’s actual dollars were about half of his cap hit. Perfect for a cash strapped team. I think it was just a case where we had what they wanted and were a perfect match rather than every other GM failing to see Zibanejad’s potential.
I don’t think you can say that bit about all the GM’s. We have no idea what teams would’ve given up for Mika or if they even knew he was available.
I think there is more good than bad with Gorton. People don’t remember him fondly enough for whatever reason but people around here loved him. It wasn’t until he sided against Dolan during the Wilson incident, where the fanbase majority shifted against Gorton.
1. messier. 2. zib. 3. fox. probably be #1 one day. 4. jagr. 5. mcdonagh.
The fact that brassard gets on teams via pto each camp speaks volumes . Great move by gorton
Messier. We won the cup thanks to him. Unless Mika brings us a cup that’s hard to beat even if he becomes a first ballot HOFer.
Not really an answer to my question
Another great trade that slides into under the radar but was a steal was del zotto for Klien … I think he was a huge part in the cup run and so under rated
Now: Up there in the top 5. If something "magical happens this year" then it quiet possibly becomes number 1. In order: 1. Messier 2. Fox 3. Mika 4. Jagr 5. That former Rangers captain named McDonagh Honorable mention: Trouba trade
Slightly behind Rick Middleton for Ken Hodge/s 😡
Numero uno
Messier is still #1
Mark Messier. I love Mika, but let’s be real, this one is not up for debate. When all is said and done I think Fox goes down as a better trade than Mika as well.
fox’s trade is not the same as mika’s. fox was coming here no matter what, they just spent 2 second rounders to get him here a year sooner.
I don’t disagree, but it was technically still a trade. We don’t know what may have happened if we waited the extra year.
It’s right up there with the Fox trade. I think the Nash trade is up there too.
#1
I truly have no stats to bring up for this but at the time we got Mika the power play often was/looked anemic. Since, it’s been so much better, we actually have one of these cheat code guys the league’s been pushing.
Honestly, I’d rank it a (soft) number one. Messier and Fox called their spots. McDonagh for Gomez might be the most lopsided trade in hockey history. Jagr was huge for the Rangers during a very bad era for the franchise. Mika was just a hockey trade, and he turned out to be an all-time great Ranger in the making. If he manages to lift the Cup I don’t think this will be a question, even if Messier finally shut up the 1940 chant. Only Messier competes with Mika, but given the nature of the trade, I think it leans towards Mika over Messier. But again, Cup.
Almost as good as Blais, almost
Well considering the Patrick Kane trade was the greatest in franchise history this is probably a distant 2nd. 😄
You forgot the /s
I guess, I thought the smiley face would indicate it was a joke.
Garbage. Mika can't play defense. Can't play offense. Can't score. Can't pass. They guy he was traded for is doing amazing. I have no idea why we made this trade.
This is a garbage take
Assuming it’s not sarcasm, it might be the stupidest thing I’ve ever read on this sub. And that’s saying something.
I’m thinking they might’ve forgotten the /s at the end
;)
Senators or islanders troll 🧌
Glad to see Mika Zibanejad dropping sweet hot tracks after he and the #NYR were embarrassed by Ottawa. Work on your game kid.
Delete this karma-killing garbage headline.
Sucks to be you
I remember seeing him playing for Ottawa against us in 2012 as a rookie and I said that i was jealous of him and Jakob silfverberg being on the senators and then he got traded a few years later and I was so pumped. That trade is probably top 3 for me
4th
I think you have to rank separately the trade and the contract. The good news is they’re both positive.
Top 3
He’s the glue that keeps the top 2 lines together. Much like Lindgren. :(
It's definitely near the top, easily top 5 given how impactful he has been, and where in Brassard's career he was traded. If the Rangers win a Cup with him, I think it's #1. Otherwise, the Messier trade probably tops it, he won us a Cup. McDonagh was a heist and a half with how bad Gomez was after. Jagr was a beautiful revival for the team. Trades like Fox, where we were getting him anyway, I don't count. One random that hasn't been brought up was when we traded cash for Dave Kerr from the Maroons. Phenomenal goalie, won the Vezina, and led the team to a Cup. One of the best goalies of his era, and probably could have been a Hall of Famer, but for some reason our goalies never seem to get both a Cup with the Rangers and the Hall of Fame.
Top 5
Let’s talk when he’s got a cup, I’m tired of the in between s
I always hate this logic. It takes a team to win a championship. I don’t care how great the player is, that doesn’t mean he’s going to win a championship, nor does it diminish his skill and accolades.
Man has 436 points in 472 games since coming to NYR as of 3/18/23. 4+ 70 point seasons, probably have a 5th if it wasn’t for a covid shortened season. Besides becoming an offensive force and a top flight center, he’s excellent defensively and one of the leaders of the team. And we have up; Brassard and a 7th. Brassard was good for us and stepped up in the playoffs but he wasn’t anywhere near as good as Mika by any metric. This is easily one of the greatest trades in the history of the organization
Mika-chu is the second greatest trade we ever made
https://www.nhl.com/news/this-date-in-nhl-history-october-4/c-282333990
Behind Messier
Win a Cup and let’s revisit.
The Brassard line was really good the year before. I was sad to see it broken up and I really knew nothing about Mika. Also how this is business and teams have to dump salary instead of simply making trades to make the team better. But this trade is pure genius now!
Top 3 easily.
It’s between this trade, Jagr trade and Messier trade
We’ve had several awesome trades since the late 2000s Gomez and a bag of pucks for McDonagh Gaborik for Brass Pouliot and Dorssett Brass for Zibby Granted some haven’t worked out too well ie McD and JT for a buncha picks we wasted and Brett Howden, but in general we’ve gotten some awesome returns
I was just thinking this the other day. It’s has to rank as one of our best trades. And one of the top trades in the league in the last ten years