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NHL history: Worst trade in each team’s history

By Nick Villano

Matt Duchene #95 of the Ottawa Senators gets set for a faceoff against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 6, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Senators 5-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Matt Duchene #95 of the Ottawa Senators gets set for a faceoff against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on February 6, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Senators 5-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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New York Islanders
New York Islander Butch Goring. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

NHL history: Worst trade in each team’s history: Los Angeles Kings

The Kings learned well before the Gretzky trade what it was like to move a fan favorite way before he was ready to go. Butch Goring was trying to be part of the solution in LA. He didn’t want to leave. The Kings didn’t care, and they traded him to the New York Islanders for Dale Lewis and Bill Harris. Goring became a very important part of the Islanders dynasty.

Goring scored 19 points in his first playoff run with the Islanders, winning the first of four straight Stanley Cups. The next season, he scored 20 points in 18 games, winning the Conn Smythe in the process. He did fall off precipitously after his second season with the Islanders, but he was still a veteran presence on two Cup Final teams, and he even got some Conn Smythe votes in his fourth season for the team.

Meanwhile, the Kings got Dale Lewis, who played exactly zero games for the Kings. He only played eight games in the NHL. Billy Harris was a veteran in the deal, but he played just over 100 games before he was traded to Toronto. Los Angeles traded for him again to end his career, but that wasn’t a part of this trade.

The Kings traded a dynasty maker for basically nothing. There was nothing that really added to the value of the franchise. Goring pushed the Islanders to two of its four titles, and they might not have them without him.

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