On February 7, 1996, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks sent Chad Kilger, Oleg Tverdovsky, and a 3rd round pick in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft to the Winnipeg Jets (eventual Phoenix Coyotes) in exchange for Teemu Selanne, the rights to Marc Chouinard, and a 4th round pick in the 1996 draft.
He couldn’t have known it at the time, but former Mighty Ducks General Manager, Jack Ferreira, made one of the most franchise-altering acquisitions in NHL history.
Here are the trade details.
Anaheim Receives…
Teemu Selanne
It is very hard to argue that there is any other player to put on an Anaheim Mighty Ducks/Ducks sweater that was better than Selanne. In his 966 games played with the franchise, Selanne recorded a whopping 457 goals and 531 assists. The winger from Helsinki, Finland leads Anaheim “all-time” list in games, goals, assists, and points (among other stats).
Before being traded to the Mighty Ducks, Selanne was already showing signs of being a dominant player with the Jets. In 231 games with Winnipeg, he managed to score 147 goals and dish out 159 assists. In 1996, Selanne was having an impressive season with the Jets before being traded. In 51 games, he recorded 24 goals and 48 assists. Once he was traded to Anaheim, Selanne continued his great season, scoring 16 more times and adding 20 helpers.
Marc Chouinard
Chouinard was selected 32nd overall by the Jets in 1995 but did not see any NHL action until 2000 with Anaheim. In three years with the franchise, Chouinard played in 159 games, scored ten goals and thirteen assists. The center from Charlesbourg, Quebec would go on to play two seasons with the Minnesota Wild, and one with the Vancouver Canucks.
1996 NHL Entry Draft 4th Round Pick
The Mighty Ducks would trade this draft pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Ken Baumgartner on March 20th of that year. Baumgartner would only play 79 games over two years with Anaheim, contributing 12 assists and 223 penalty minutes.
Winnipeg Receives…
Chad Kilger
Kilger was drafted by Anaheim 4th overall in 1995 but never materialized into a valuable player at the professional level. Kilger contributed five goals and seven assists as a Mighty Duck and then added five more points to his season total with the Jets. He played in 34 games over two seasons when the Winnepeg franchise moved to Phoenix, recording four goals and four assists. Kilger would bounce around to organizations such as Chicago, Edmonton, Montreal, and Toronto until his career came to an end in 2008.
Oleg Tverdovsky
Anaheim drafted Tverdovsky 2nd overall in 1994. Tverdovsky developed into a solid blueliner that could contribute to his team. He was not put out on the ice for his offense but demonstrated the ability to assist on that end of the ice from time to time. In the 1997-98 regular season, Tverdovsky recorded a career-high 55 points with Phoenix. He would reach the 50-point mark two more times in his career, ironically with Anaheim.
1996 NHL Entry Draft 3rd Round Pick
The Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes would use the 3rd round pick acquired from Anaheim to select Per-Anton Lundstrom. Unfortunately, he never took the ice for the franchise. Lundstrom spent his extensive hockey career playing for the Swedish Hockey League.
Who Won This Trade?
If you really need me to answer this one for you, you are not a hockey fan! I’m not trying to be cruel but I mean it! Anaheim won this deal simply because of Selanne. None of the other pieces had an impact that even came close to his. Although he spent a few seasons away from the Ducks organization, he was the face of the franchise for so many years, and still is to a certain extent. When you are able to acquire the greatest Duck of all time, you win the deal!