NHL history: Worst trade in each team’s history: St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues made one of the best trades in franchise history when they traded Brendan Shanahan for Chris Pronger. It saved them from one of their worst moves when they signed Shanahan to a restricted free agent contract. They ended up losing Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens in compensation to the New Jersey Devils, so Shanahan came at a hefty price. So, just a few years later, the Blues flipped him for what would become one of the best defensemen in the league.
The Stevens deal technically wasn’t a trade so it doesn’t qualify, but trading away Pronger in his prime definitely qualifies. Teams were in flux after the implementation of the salary cap after the 2004 NHL Lockout, and Pronger was a player that teams couldn’t seem to handle. He was traded three times over the next five years.
This trade really hurt, though. Pronger had spent a decade in St. Louis, and he was bringing the team to heights that seemed like they were only beginning. They made the playoffs every season with Pronger. The season they traded him, they missed the postseason for the first time since 1979. The Blues were wildly consistent even if they were never truly Stanley Cup contenders.
Trading Pronger sent the Blues into a tailspin. The return was atrocious. Eric Brewer only had 95 points in 335 games with the Blues. Doug Lynch never played another game in the NHL. Jeff Woywitka was never an NHL regular and played as a 13th forward for most of his career. This is what the Blues got for one of the best defensemen of this era. The Oilers took Pronger and went to the Stanley Cup Final before immediately trading him again.