On January 4th, 1998, the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers made a deal that fit both teams. The Devils traded Stanley Cup Championship duo Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin to the Oilers in exchange for Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir. The trade was a “change of scenery” type of deal that both clubs thought would benefit the players involved.
According to an article in the Edmonton Journal, Guerin believed his relationship with then-general manager Lou Lamoriello soured. Guerin wanted more money in his salary after scoring 29 goals in 1996-97. Arnott was the runner-up in the Calder Trophy voting to Devils legend Martin Brodeur in 1993-94 after scoring 33 goals and 68 points. However, he didn’t break the 30-goal plateau again in Edmonton.
The two sides made a deal that would see the two young forwards in new cities. One was trying to reignite his scoring touch, while the other wanted a new management and coaching staff. Glenn Sather and Lamoriello did not expect the deal they made in 1998 would stretch all the way to the year 2020. How does the trade back on January 4th, 1998 trace all the way to the Devils’ current roster today? One clue, the Devils took him as a Russian defenseman just a few months ago.
There are a few big moves to make before we get there, but it all connects. This trade also, somehow unbelievably, ties to the Rangers trading for Jaromir Jagr in 2004 and the Oilers trading for Chris Pronger in 2005. So hop on down the rabbit hole and see how many deals we can connect along the way. We’ll do this in the same vein as the trade trees that Steve Dangle is famous for.
First, the original Arnott trade went very well for the Devils. Arnott wouldn’t find the same scoring touch he had during his rookie season, however, his playmaking abilities fit perfectly on this Devils team. He had 15 points in 35 games after the midseason trade. The next season, he had 54 points in an offensive system that was historically known for not having players with high point totals. After that, he was put together with what would become one of the most iconic lines in Devils history. With Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora, the ‘A’ Line spearheaded an attack that would see one Stanley Cup championship and going to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final the next season.
Arnott was hurt for a good chunk of the 2000-01 season but was still a point per game player for Larry Robinson. The next year, the Devils struggled and Lamoriello thought that the ‘A’ Line took center stage more than the team itself. Lamoriello pulled the trigger on another deal that would send a Stanley Cup champion to another market to try and make his team better. But more on that deal later. The other piece the Devils got in the original Arnott trade was defenseman Bryan Muir. Muir played one game with the Devils and played only ten minutes. Muir was traded the next season. How did it pay off for the Oilers?