The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens are in two different categories right now. The Oilers are looking to contend and make it back for another chance at the Stanley Cup, while the Habs are looking to continue their rebuild and try to contend within a few seasons as they continue to bolster their prospect pool. While the Canadiens may be close to being a playoff team again, they are still several pieces away from being able to call themselves a true contender again. The Oilers, on the other hand, were one game away from winning their sixth Stanley Cup in franchise history, and their first since 1990. While both teams look very different now, there was a blockbuster deal in the works in 2016 between the two squads that could’ve changed the outlook of both teams, and altered the league as a whole.
Heading toward the 2016-17 season, both the Oilers and Canadiens were hoping to be able to contend and make a deep run into the playoffs. The Canadiens finished the 2015-16 season with a 38-38-6 record, and the Oilers finished with a 31-43-8 record with both teams missing the postseason. Both looking to take a swing and change their teams a bit, the two almost agreed on a blockbuster deal that would have seen P.K. Subban join the Oilers in exchange for Leon Draisaitl, a first-round pick, one of Oscar Klefbom or Darnell Nurse, and a prospect that was never revealed.
What Would Have Happened if the Trade Was Completed?
Draisaitl has turned into a superstar for the Oilers who may go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He is an elite goalscorer who has been a huge part of the Oilers’ success and was a strong contributor during their recent run to the Stanley Cup Final. If he had been moved to the Habs, it likely would have set the Canadiens up for several straight seasons of success and consistent deep playoff runs and while the Oilers probably would have become a solid team either way, it’s tough to see them having come out of that trade as a winner.
Subban was later moved to the Nashville Predators in a one-for-one trade that saw Shea Weber go to the Canadiens. At the same time, the Oilers decided to acquire a different defender in Adam Larsson and moved Taylor Hall to bring him in. Both of those moves likely wouldn’t have happened if the blockbuster deal had gone through beforehand. When it comes to Klefbom and Nurse, they have gone through completely different career paths. Today, Nurse is considered a solid bottom-pairing defender who is overpaid while Klefbom unfortunately won’t be playing hockey again due to a major injury, but he was shaping up to be a franchise defender.
It’s close to impossible to predict how both teams would have performed if the trade had gone through, but it’s safe to say it would have altered the NHL entirely. The Oilers went on in the 2016-17 season to have a 47-26-9 record and make it to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks while the Canadiens had an identical record of 47-26-9 and were eliminated in the first round by the New York Rangers.
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At the end of the day, it’s fun to look back at what could have been a massive trade between the two teams. Fortunately for the Oilers, they never made the move and held onto Draisaitl who has become an elite forward. Unfortunately for the Habs, they weren’t able to pull off what could have been one of, if not the best trade in franchise history. Today, both teams are on different levels and have different goals in mind, but that could have been a completely different story if this massive trade ever came to fruition.
