New Jersey Devils: 5 Blockbuster Trades That Almost Happened

The Devils Originally Targeted Mark Messier At The 2000 Trade Deadline

Acquiring winger Alexander Mogilny from the Vancouver Canucks was Lamoriello’s biggest move of the 2000 trade deadline, but his initial target was apparently someone entirely different. The thought of Mark Messier in a Devils jersey is difficult to grasp, but this scenario almost became a reality.

Lamoriello and then-Canucks General Manager Brian Burke nearly had a deal in place that would send Messier to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for young forwards Denis Pederson, Brendan Morrison, along with a 1st or 2nd-round pick. The deal never came to fruition, with New Jersey instead acquiring Mogilny. A combination of the Devils working out a new contract with Messier and discrepancy over what draft pick New Jersey would include in their package appeared to prevent the trade’s completion.

Had those snags been sorted out, Messier may have remained in New Jersey well beyond the 2000 playoffs, possibly deferring or preventing his second stint with the New York Rangers from even happening. Things obviously worked out for the Devils, who went on to win their second Stanley Cup, and make another Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2001 with Mogilny on their team.

Nonetheless, accounts like this make you wonder if acquiring Messier instead of Mogilny would have still given New Jersey the right formula to capture their 2000 championship, and possibly even put them over the top again the following year.