The 10 best trades in the history of the New York Rangers

#1 Mark Messier acquired from Edmonton with future considerations (Jeff Beukeboom for David Shaw) for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk.

October 4, 1991

Rangers fans can thank Glen Sather for his role in the greatest Ranger trade ever.

As Edmonton Oilers general manager, he pulled the trigger on the deal that sent Mark Messier to New York and the 1994 Stanley Cup Championship to Madison Square Garden. Sather was really forced into making the deal as Messier, unhappy with his $1.2 million salary, had not reported to training camp, holding out and demanding a trade..

In Messier, the Rangers got one of the greatest leaders in NHL history.

Immediately named team captain, Messier transformed the team from an also-ran to a team that was the league’s best, winning the President’s Trophy in 1992 and 1994. His hat trick in game six of the 1994 Stanley Cup Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils alone qualifies him as a Ranger immortal.

Messier ended up playing 10 seasons as a Ranger, although amid some drama, he signed with Vancouver for three years in the middle of his two stints in New York. In his first season in New York, he scored 107 points and was a first team All-Star.  He was also named the best player int he league, winning both the Hart and Pearson Trophies.

A month after the Messier blockbuster, Jeff Beukeboom came to the Rangers to complete the deal. Beukeboom was to spend eight seasons as Brian Leetch’s defense partner before his career was ended by concussions. Taking alone, Beukeboom for David Shaw could be a contender for top ten status.

The Rangers did give Edmonton some value in this trade.

Center Bernie Nicholls was a top goal scorer who had notched 70 goals and 150 points in 1989 as a Los Angeles King. When acquired by the Rangers in 1990 for Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato, “Broadway Bernie” was seen as a savior and offensive powerhouse. He did score 37 goals in 104 games as a Ranger.

While Nicholls never achieved that kind of offensive success again, he played eight more seasons in the NHL including 1993-94 with the New Jersey Devils. He became a villain to Ranger fans when he was suspended for one game in the Conference Finals for cross-checking Alexei Kovalev and then shooting the puck into his face.

Steven Rice and Louie DeBrusk were two top Ranger prospects and David Shaw was a solid veteran defenseman. All three went on to have decent NHL careers though Rice never lived up to his potential and DeBrusk spent 11 years in the NHL mostly an enforcer for four different teams. He is also the father of Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk.

This trade would rank as one of the best in the team’s history simply because the the 18 years that Messier and Beukeboom played in New York, but rises to number one because the trade was the biggest reason the Rangers ended a 54 year drought and finally hoisted the Stanley Cup.