In 1998, the New York Rangers were 4 years removed from their first Championship in 54 years. They were fighting for the right to compete for the cup again, and they made a trade that shook the hockey landscape. Part of that Stanley Cup-winning roster was a goal-scoring winger named Alexei Kovalev, and the Rangers shook the hockey world by moving him to a rival for the cup, one that had won the cup just two years before the Rangers.
Kovalev was drafted 15th overall in the 1991 NHL entry draft by the New York Rangers as the franchise looked to continue adding to its roster. Kovalev joined the Rangers in the 1992-93 season, where he tallied 20 goals and 18 assists to break the 38-point mark as a rookie. He was very respectable for a player still adjusting to the NHL, and there was hope he could push the Rangers over the top in their bid to end the drought for a championship.
In 1993-94, Kovalev announced himself on the NHL stage with 23 goals and 33 assists for 56 points in 76 games. You might think, "That's not that impressive," and you'd be right. But this was the start of the dead puck era, where NHL scoring went to die, and Kovalev was showing he could contribute. But that's not where he came through for the Rangers. He ended the postseason with 23 games, nine goals, 12 assists, and 21 points. A driving force as the Rangers won the cup.
Through his first six seasons in the NHL, Kovalev recorded 116 goals and 152 assists for 268 points in 388 games. He was one of the driving forces behind the Rangers' production and became sought after. Entering the 1997-98 season, New York wanted more production than Kovalev's three goals and four assists for seven points in 14 games, so they made a call that led to some interesting moments in Rangers history.