When a GM finally opts to pull the trigger on a trade, there’s primarily two motivating factors at play — the short-term boost or the long-term retool.
Boston has seen many such deals take shape through all of its pro sports — all with varying degrees of success when it comes to justifying whatever price was mortgaged to achieve said goal.
Of course, there are other motivating factors that can spur a deal — whether it be the need for a culture change, a message sent or a straightforward trade request.
But even when the motivations are rather evident, the actual action of signing off on trades is rarely taken lightly — given the long-term consequences that a team could be saddled with if it was to come out on the wrong side of such a move.
And while some trades can either flip the fortunes of a team over the span of a single summer (Kevin Garnett in 2007 certainly comes to mind), there are plenty of moves that can leave their fingerprints on a franchise for much longer than one championship window or rebuilding stretch.
For as much as the Bruins have been lambasted over the years for the meager return they secured in the Joe Thornton blockbuster (especially given what some other teams were offering), the trio of Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau did help put Boston on a path toward a Stanley Cup a little over five years later.
Okay, it was more indirect help than anything. But the Thornton deal did set off a chain of events that allowed some key cogs to join Boston's roster in the coming years.
Of course, getting Thornton's contract off the books allowed Boston to open its wallet to bring aboard both Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard in July 2006, but both Stuart and Primeau were later flipped for additional assets that paid major dividends for the B's. In February 2007, Stuart and Primeau were traded to the Flames for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew — with Kobasew later dealt to the Wild in October 2009 in exchange for Craig Weller and a second-round pick. Just a few months later, Weller was an asset in a package that allowed Boston to acquire Dennis Seidenberg from the Panthers.
Indeed, even the most underwhelming returns can often lead to some unexpected surprises years down the road. But even megadeals involving the likes of Thornton or Tyler Seguin pale in comparison to the haul Boston landed when it dealt Barry Pederson to Vancouver in exchange for Cam Neely and a first-round pick.
Of course, the rest was history when it came to the impact Neely had over 10 standout seasons in Boston. But that first-round pick plucked from the Canucks was far from just a throw-in for a franchise-altering deal. On the contrary, that draft capital set in motion a chain of events that has continued to benefit the Bruins over 33 years since the original Neely deal was struck.
For as much as Boston often gets knocked for getting the short end of the stick on major deals, the B's knocked the Neely trade out of the park back in the summer of 1986.
Here are the parameters of that deal:
1986 Trade
Boston gets: Cam Neely, Canucks' 1987 first-round pick
Vancouver gets: Barry Pederson
At the time, this move was viewed as a bit of a head-scratcher, if not a massive gamble. After all, Pederson was viewed as one of the premier young centers in the NHL at the time of the trade — with the 25-year-old pivot already tallying a pair of 100-point campaigns in five full seasons with the Bruins. No Bruin in franchise history has tallied 150 goals in as short a span as Pederson (316 games) — not even David Pastrnak (341 games).
But Boston, concerned with Pederson's long-term potential due to injuries, opted to roll the dice and look to cash in on future assets by acquiring Neely and Vancouver's first-round pick in 1987.
At the time, Neely's imposing and physical style of play certainly fit the brand that Boston was looking for, but his offensive contributions were a far cry from the totals that Pederson produced — with the winger averaging 17 games per season over his three years in Vancouver.
It didn't take long for Neely to fit into his new surroundings, ingratiating himself to the Garden crowds by scoring 36 goals and racking up 143 penalty minutes in his first campaign with Boston. He would go on to be the most feared power forward of his generation — surpassing the 50-goal mark on three occasions and totaling 590 points and 921 penalty minutes over his 10 seasons in Boston. Even with his Hall of Fame resume, Neely could have further padded his stats and added to his legend if it wasn't for the injuries that ended his career at just 30 years old.
Of course, just a straight swap between Neely and Pederson — who ultimately only played six more seasons due to injuries — would have been a major win for the Bruins outright. But this 1986 deal proved to be the gift that kept on giving for the B's for the next three-plus decades.
1987 — Bruins draft Glen Wesley with Canucks' first-round pick
A struggling Canucks team in 1986-87 quickly added to Boston's fortunes as far as draft capital goes, with the Canucks' first-round selection handing the B's the third overall pick in the 1987 draft. With the pick, Boston selected defenseman Glen Wesley — who recorded 307 points over seven seasons with the Bruins while becoming a key cog on a pair of Bruins clubs that advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 1988 and 1990.
1994 — Trade
Boston Gets: Whalers' 1995, 1996 & 1997 first-round picks
Hartford Gets: Glen Wesley
But just before the start of the 1994-95 season, the Bruins opted to trade Wesley to the Hartford Whalers — with the 26-year-old defenseman's departure securing a hefty haul for Boston in the form of Hartford's first-round picks in 1995, 1996 and 1997.
Scooping up three straight first-rounders further branched out the Neely/Pederson trade into the extensive — and ongoing — network that it is today.
1995: Bruins draft Kyle McLaren with Whalers' first-round pick
The Bruins' first future asset secured from the Wesley deal came in the form of defenseman Kyle McLaren, who was taken with the ninth overall pick in 1995. (To play devil's advocate, other players selected later in the first round included Jarome Iginla (11th overall) and Jean-Sebastien Giguere (13th overall). McLaren, projected to be a dependable and physical presence on the blue line, ultimately appeared in 417 games with Boston over a seven-year stretch before ultimately getting dealt to the Sharks in 2003.
1996: Bruins draft Johnathan Aitken with Whalers' first-round pick
As Hartford's misfortunes continued, the Bruins were once again handed another quality draft selection — with Boston ultimately rolling with defenseman Johnathan Aitken with the eighth overall pick in the 1996 NHL Draft. (Other noteworthy names in the '96 Draft included Marco Sturm (21st overall), Daniel Briere (24th overall) and a 6-foot-9 defenseman from Trenčín, Slovakia named Zdeno Chara — who went 56th overall in the third round).
Fair to say, things didn't exactly work out with Aitken, who only appeared in three total games with the Bruins during the 1999-2000 season before ultimately heading over to the Czech Republic for the following campaign.
1997: Bruins draft Sergei Samsonov with Whalers' first-round pick
For the second straight season, the Bruins were handed the eighth overall pick in the draft thanks to the Wesley deal — but this time, Boston managed to finally cash in with this selection by drafting Russian winger Sergei Samsonov.
Samsonov, drafted the same year Boston took Joe Thornton with the first overall pick, adjusted to the NHL ranks at a faster rate than Jumbo Joe — with the smaller, shifty winger winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie after scoring 22 goals and 47 points during the 1997-98 season.
Samsonov, expected to join Thornton as the next wave of Bruins' star players, had a very productive run in Boston — scoring 164 goals and 376 points over eight seasons with Boston. Just as Samsonov and Thornton were drafted together in 1997, both forwards were also dealt away by Boston during the same campaign in 2005-06.
2003 — Trade
Boston Gets: Jeff Hackett, Jeff Jillson
San Jose Gets: Kyle McLaren
Boston ultimately pulled the trigger on a deal that shipped McLaren out of town on Jan. 22, 2003 — bringing in goaltender Jeff Hackett and Rhode Island native Jeff Jillson from the Sharks. Hackett only appeared in 18 games with the Bruins, posting a record of 8-9-0 with an .894 save percentage before signing a contract with the Flyers the following season. Jillson primarily played most of his games down in Providence — but did managed to tally 14 points over 50 games up with the big club. A little over a year later, Jillson was back on the move — briefly returning to his former club in the Sharks as part of a larger deal.
2004 — Trade
Boston Gets: Brad Boyes
San Jose Gets: Jeff Jillson
Boston did pretty well for itself in this swap that eventually turned into a three-team trade — acquiring a 21-year-old Boyes from the Sharks. The 2004-05 NHL lockout delayed Boyes' rookie season in Boston, but the winger impressed in 2005-06 — placing fifth in the Calder Trophy voting after scoring 26 goals and 69 total points over 82 games for a rebuilding Bruins team. Despite featuring plenty of promise, Boyes was traded the following season to the Blues — where he tallied 76 goals over his first two full seasons in St. Louis.
2006 — Trade
Boston Gets: Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny, Edmonton's 2006 second-round pick
Edmonton Gets: Sergei Samsonov
With the Oilers in desperate need of some scoring punch en route to an eventual Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2006, they managed to strike a deal with the Bruins — who traded their last asset from the Wesley deal in Samsonov for a pair of forwards and a second-round pick.
One of the forwards, Marty Reasoner, tallied two goals and eight points over 19 games with Boston before eventually re-signing with the Oilers that summer. Yan Stastny shuffled between Boston and Providence for a bit before ultimately getting traded to the Blues in January 2007 for a fifth-round pick — which Boston used to select Denis Reul.
In terms of immediate returns, this Samsonov deal was a bit of a bust. However, that second-round pick that Boston scooped up from Edmonton more than made this trade worth it.
2006 — Bruins draft Milan Lucic with Oilers' second-round pick
In a transformative 2006 NHL Draft that also saw Boston pick up Phil Kessel and Brad Marchand (and acquire Tuukka Rask in a trade with Toronto) the Bruins used Edmonton's second-round pick (50th overall) from the Samsonov trade to draft Milan Lucic.
A bruising power forward with a game built for Boston, Lucic quickly became a fan favorite — and one of the key contributors during Boston's eventual Stanley Cup championship in 2011. In total, Lucic played in Boston for eight seasons — scoring 139 goals and 342 points over 566 games while adding in 772 penalty minutes for good measure.
Even after Lucic's memorable tenure in Boston came to an end in 2015, Boston's trade with the Kings that summer set the stage for the Neely trade to continue to branch out.
2007 — Trade
Boston Gets: Dennis Wideman
St. Louis Gets: Brad Boyes
Despite Boyes' potential, the Bruins looked to add to its blue line by dealing their winger to the Blues in exchange for puck-moving defenseman Dennis Wideman.
While Wideman was prone to some gaffes in Boston's own end, he was as advertised as a fleet-footed skater that could generate offense from the blue line — recording 119 points over 256 career games with Boston.
2010 — Trade
Boston Gets: Nathan Horton, Gregory Campbell
Florida Gets: Dennis Wideman, Boston's 2010 first-round pick, Boston's 2011 third-round pick
After getting embarrassed by the Flyers in the second round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Bruins needed to shake things up. Desperate for some added punch up front, Boston dealt Wideman and a pair of draft picks to the Panthers in exchange for forwards Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell.
Even if Horton only lasted three seasons in Boston before leaving in free agency, the winger left an indelible mark with the B's, providing plenty of postseason heroics during Boston's run to a Stanley Cup title. Over 21 playoff games during the spring of 2011, Horton tallied eight goals and 17 total points — including OT goals in the first round against Montreal in Games 5 and 7, along with the lone goal in Boston's Game 7 victory over the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final. Horton's unfortunate injury in Game 3 against the Canucks during the Stanley Cup Final ultimately proved to be a turning point — as Boston won four of the last five games in the series after Horton was taken out by a cheap shot from Aaron Rome.
Horton nearly helped Boston capture another Stanley Cup in 2013, scoring 19 points over 22 games before the B's ultimately came up short to the Blackhawks in the Cup Final.
Much like Horton, Campbell was a key cog during Boston's two trips to the Cup Final in 2011 and 2013 — anchoring the B's famed "Merlot Line" and serving as a major weapon on the penalty kill.
Of course, Campbell is likely best known for his heroics during Game 3 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Final, in which he gutted his way through a pivotal penalty kill despite having his right fibula shattered off a blast from Evgeni Malkin early on the shorthanded sequence. Campbell remained on the ice for over a minute despite not being able to put any pressure on his right leg — and Boston ultimately snuffed out Pittsburgh's power-play bid. Campbell ultimately played five seasons in Boston, logging 358 games with the B's.
With both Horton and Campbell eventually signing with the Blue Jackets in 2013 and 2015, respectively, the branch of the Neely trade tree that originated with Boston's selection of McLaren in the 1995 Draft came to an end. Fair to say, given Horton and Campbell's contributions, that such a move ultimately paid off.
2015 — Trade
Boston Gets: Colin Miller, Martin Jones, Los Angeles' 2015 first-round pick
Los Angeles Gets: Milan Lucic
With the B's in need of a reset and dealing with a cap crunch, Don Sweeney and the Bruins opted to revamp the roster during the 2015 offseason — with Lucic, Dougie Hamilton and Carl Soderberg all dealt over a two-day span that June. By trading Lucic to the L.A. Kings, Boston received a pretty sizable return, gaining a pair of promising prospects in goalie Martin Jones and defenseman Colin Miller — while also securing the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
Jones ultimately didn't play a single game with Boston, as he was traded just four days later to the Sharks (more on that below). Miller was an intriguing piece on Boston's blue line for two seasons, but failed to established himself on a D corps with plenty of established talent. Miller was ultimately taken by Vegas during the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, and managed to rack up 70 points over 147 career games with the Golden Knights.
2015 — Bruins draft Jakub Zboril with Kings' 2015 first-round pick
Now, after almost three decades since the Neely deal was agreed to, we finally get to players that are currently part of Boston's system. Of course, even if Jakub Zboril is still with the B's organization as of 2020, methinks the Bruins would likely feel a whole lot better about this pick had that ended up selecting somewhat up in the NHL ranks by now. You know — a guy like Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Thomas Chabot, Brock Boeser or Travis Konecny. Just my two cents.
2015 — Trade
Boston Gets: Sean Kuraly, Sharks 2016 first-round pick
San Jose Gets: Martin Jones
Just four days after the Bruins acquired Jones in the Lucic deal, Boston opted to send the young netminder packing — trading Jones to San Jose in exchange for the Sharks first-round pick in 2016 and prospect Sean Kuraly.
Kuraly, who was still playing at Miami University at the time of this deal, may not have received much fanfare at the time of this move, but the speedy forward has become a key part to Boston's bottom-six unit since carving out a regular role with the B's in 2016. A energetic center with a knack of scoring goals in the clutch, Kuraly was a force during Boston's run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 — and was starting to settle back into a groove in 2020 before the season came to a halt.
2016 — Boston draft Trent Frederic with Sharks' 2016 first-round pick
At last, this long list of trades, draft selections and other transactions have come to an end (for now) — as Boston used the Sharks' first-round pick in 2016 to select Wisconsin forward Trent Frederic. While the power forward has yet to carve out a regular spot up with the big club quite yet, Frederic has managed to leave quite an impression in the 17 games he has logged with the Bruins — highlighted his NHL debut, in which he used Brandon Tanev's face as a speed bag.
Had the 2020 season not been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed like a given that we'd see Frederic make another appearance up in the NHL ranks, especially during the final weeks of March and early April. After an encouraging season down in Providence in which he tallied 32 points (and led all AHL skaters with 148 penalty minutes), Frederic could be in line for a more extended look at a bottom-six role next season.
Well, there you have it. Close to 34 years since Neely made his way from Vancouver to Boston, that trade is still paying major dividends for the Bruins. Here's a look at the full Neely trade diagram, courtesy of u/Easy75 on the r/BostonBruins subreddit.
OTHER NHL NOTES:
- Good on Sabres forward and North Chelmsford native Jack Eichel for purchasing 5,000 personal protective equipment masks that will be distributed to local hospitals dealing with shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. They raise those BU kids right.
- Bruins fans may not have to be too worried about Tuukka Rask's future after all. Despite plenty of speculation that Rask might decided to retire after his current contract expires in 2021, Rask said earlier this week on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" that he isn't ruling out playing beyond the terms of his current contract.
- "I haven’t made any decision on any direction yet,” Rask said. “Obviously we’re not even playing hockey right now, so that’ll be in the future. But it’s definitely not in my mind right now. Just trying to take care of the family as of now and go back to hockey whenever that happens and then go from there. I’m sure we’re going to have good conversations with Sweens after this season and go from there. But I’m only 34 (when the contract expires), so it’s not too old, so I might play another year or two and then go from there. But I don’t want to promise anything either way because you never know what’s going to happen.”