The Devils Almost Pulled Off Another One-For-One
Although Taylor Hall didn’t usher in a newfound era of prosperity like the New Jersey Devils had hoped, the infamous one-for-one trade that brought him to the Garden State will forever be remembered. Nearly a decade before the Hall/Larsson swap occurred, Lamoriello almost completed a one-for-one of his own that could have had a profound effect on the organization.
The 2006-2007 season was Scott Gomez’s last with the New Jersey Devils. Lamoriello—whose inability to retain top unrestricted free agents was well-documented—knew the prospect of losing Gomez for nothing that summer was very real, and explored potential trade scenarios early in the season. Around the same time, Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland faced an identical predicament with center Pavel Datsyuk, who was also slated to become a UFA in July.
The two general managers at least had discussions regarding a potential swap of their team’s centers. Both were similar in age, making little progress on signing extensions with their respective teams, and produced near identical numbers in 2005-2006, so this deal would have made sense at the time. It’s possible other pieces could have been thrown in, but even if the deal wasn’t exactly one-for-one, Gomez and Datsyuk would have been the trade’s centerpieces.
Datsyuk eventually signed a long-term extension with Detroit, while Gomez inked a seven-year contract with the New York Rangers on July 1. Even if this deal transpired, would Lamoriello, knowing his ineptness of being able to re-sign his top UFAs, have been able to re-sign Datsyuk? If so, not only could this have been one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history, but Datsyuk would have spent the next several years playing with Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner, and a young Zach Parise.
Imagine what that forward core could have accomplished?