Matt Duchene was traded to the Ottawa Senators yesterday and it immediately made for headlines across North America.
That was because the trade was pretty bizarre. Obviously trading a player of this caliber will always grab some attention, especially in the NHL where trades are few and far between. However there are several other factors that make this the most unique trade in NHL history. Of course, everyone’s first thought will be the Gretzky trade, but other than the fact that it was the best player in the world, it was a pretty standard trade.
There are six factors that we determined made this trade the most unique in history.
Traded Mid-Game
Of course, this was a big one. The mid-game trade is extremely rare and really turns the trade into a visual spectacle. We had the period of time where the trade had become known online, but not on the broadcast and then we watched things unfold live as Duchene left the ice and arena.
Three-Way Trade
True three-way trades are extremely rare in hockey. Trades like the Mark Streit one from last season isn’t really the same thing. When looking at true three-way trades, you have to look to John Scotts trade in 2016 for something similar. Before that, there was the OTT-SJS-CHI trade in 2006 that send Havlat to the Blackhawks and the OTT-LAK-MTL trade in 2004 that sent Radek Bonk to the Canadiens.
Year of Waiting
Joe Sakic revealed that Duchene asked for the trade last Christmas when he saw the rebuild on the horizon. That’s a long time to wait and it has been in the media for the entire time. It has made for a lot of rumours and speculation throughout that time.
Playing Team Back-to-Back Next
Duchene is on his way to Sweden with Ottawa to face off against his former team, not once, but twice in a row. A very unique turnaround for Duchene.
Childhood Team
Duchene Idolized Joe Sakic. To ask one of his childhood heroes for a trade away from his childhood team, it just added another layer of emotion to the story.
Back from the Dead
This trade was broken a couple days before it actually happened, but it had appeared that the trade was dead. Luckily for hockey fans, it came back to life for all of our entertainment.
