Trades are a fact of life in the NHL and the New York Rangers have had their fair share of notable ones
Ask a New York Rangers fan about the biggest trade in team history and the answer will inevitably be the 1975 deal between the Blueshirts and the Boston Bruins. Jean Ratelle, Brad Park and Joe Zanussi went to Beantown in exchange for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais. That was a swap of three future members of the Hall of Fame.
It worked out for both team. Park and Ratelle had productive careers in Boston and Esposito took the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final in 1979.
Other fans may point to the trade for Mark Messier or the acquisition of Jaromir Jagr as biggest deals. Here’s a look at some notable Ranger trades.
Swapping Hall of Famers
The trade with the Boston Bruins was not the only time that the Rangers have traded future Hall of Famers. It’s actually happened quite often.
Chabot for Roach – The first time was October 18, 1928 when Toronto send goalie John Ross Roach to New York for Lorne Chabot. While Chabot would go on to win the Vezina Trophy with the Blackhawks, Roach starred in New York and had an amazing 37 shutouts in his 180 games with the Blueshirts.
Seibert for Coulter – On January 15, 1936 the Rangers traded defenseman Earl Siebert to the Blackhawks for Art Coulter. Siebert was an outstanding defender who was a first or second team all star for 12 straight years. Coulter was not his equal as a defender, but was an all-star for three seasons in New York.
Stanley for Gadsby – This deal on November 23, 1954, involved five players with two destined for the Hall of Fame. The Rangers acquired 27 year old defenseman Bill Gadbsy from the Blackhawks in exchange for 28 year old Allen Stanley. Gadsby was one of the best defensemen and a first or second team all star for four years, a Norris Trophy contender every year. Stanley lasted only two years in Chicago before playing for three more teams. He found stardom as an all star with the Maple Leafs in the early 1960s.
Kelly for Gadsby – This is a trade that never happened. On February 5, 1960 the Rangers traded defenseman Gadsby, after six seasons in New York, to the Detroit Red Wings along with Eddie Shack for center Red Kelly and winger Billy McNeil. Both players refused to report so the deal was voided and the two Rangers stayed with the team. Talk about awkward.
Plante for Worsley – This June 4, 1963 deal was notable for a couple reasons. First and foremost it was a trade of two Hall of Fame goalies. It also involved a large number of pieces, something we will get into a bit later.
Plante was already 35 when acquired by New York and he played only two seasons with them. The 33 year old Worsley was coming off a deal when he had led the NHL in games, minutes played, shots faced and saves. He went on to win two Vezina Trophies with the Canadiens.
In this deal, it was the other assets picked up by New York (Phil Goyette and Don Marshall) that mattered more.
Ratelle and Park for Esposito – We’ve gone over this November 7, 1975 deal and it still remains the only Rangers deal involving three future Hall of Fame players.
Zubov for Robitaille – The last deal for the Rangers involving future Hall of Fame players was on August 31, 1995 when the Rangers sent Sergei Zubov and Petr Nedved to Pittsburgh for Luc Robitaille and Ulf Samuelsson. The Blueshirts were looking for a more physical defenseman and Mark Messier didn’t like Nedved, hence the deal. The trading of Zubov was misguided and Robitaille never lived up to the scoring prowess he showed in Los Angeles.