Therefore, we often delve into the analytical aspects of sports trading. Which players need to change? Which team will rank first? Are there even winners or losers in the deal? Do they pay star or underpay for valuable role-players?
All of these issues drive discussions that stem from these deals in any professional sports league. Most importantly, the analysis can last for a while. It’s never too late to look back on the deal and ask these questions – or too early.
In hockey, we have discussed deals over the years. From the day Wayne Gretzky’s trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the nearest deals, such as the Senator’s Alexei Yashin trade or the Phil Kessel trade, sending him to Toronto or Pittsburgh, it’s a never-ending view of the trade itself.
But what if I told you there are two deals, especially the cost of chocolate bars that cost less than their cost? Yes, yes. Forgot the first $1 million man in hockey, let’s talk about two dollar players who have had their career success.
Shepard deserves the money
The first occurred on July 9, 1990, in the trade between the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Saber.
After Saber selected him in the third round of the 1984 NHL admission draft, the team shipped Ray Sheppard to the Rangers for $1.
The truth is, Sheppard is not a terrible player. In fact, he scored 65 points in 74 games in his rookie season in 1987-88 and scored 114 points in 159 regular seasons before the trade. Still, Saber moved the 24-year-old to the Wanderer for cash and future considerations, which later turned out to be a dollar.
Sheppard played for just one season with the Rangers – 24 goals and 47 points in 59 games before signing free agents in Detroit in the summer of 1991.
In Detroit, San Jose, Florida and Carolina, Shepard won 357 goals and 657 points in 817 regular season games, retiring after the 1999-2000 season. He added 50 points in the playoffs in 81 professional games but never advanced to the Stanley Cup.
While he may not be one of the top players during his time in the NHL, it is safe to say that he is more valuable than the dollar he once traded. But this is not the last time it happened in the NHL.
Draper’s trading paper
About three years later, the Red Wings won one of the biggest roles in Kris Draper in the 1990s and 2000s, and you guessed it a dollar. Wings paid just one dollar for the Winnipeg Jets, paying for Draper, who was selected by the Jets in the third round in 1989.
While he was never the most offensive player, Draper had a success during his tenure. His best offensive season was in 2003-04, when he scored 24 goals and 40 points.
Throughout his career, he recorded only 361 points in 1,137 regular season professional regular season games and 364 games, but that’s what he did without hockey, which made him such a valuable game – the red wings lasted for 17 seasons.
He had been in Selke’s conversation from 2000 to 2009 – even if he was a long time for some other candidates. That said, he won the award in 2003-04 and even ranked 28th in Hart’s conversation.
His success continues to make the playoffs, with the Red Wings scoring 46 points in 220 games, in four Stanley Cup games against Detroit. These include back-to-back victory in 1997 and 1998, and the other two will be launched in 2002 and 2008.
He is a major player in the competition between Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche and takes the wing depth ahead with defense responsibility. While he will never be remembered for what he does offense, he is worth far more than Red Wings’ worth in getting his only dollar.
Regardless, Sheppard and Draper are easily the cheapest acquisitions the NHL has seen in memory lately.
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