NHL history: Worst trade in each team’s history: Colorado Avalanche
Sometimes a trade isn’t bad because of the return or what was given up, sometimes it’s bad because of what it saddles a team with for years. The Colorado Avalanche were looking to keep the dynasty going after Patrick Roy put his skates away for good. They looked to an old friend who gave them a goalie in the past.
Let’s start with the return. David Aebischer was nothing special. Getting Theodore in his prime for a young goalie who couldn’t handle the pressure of a starter was just fine. This was actually a great trade when it happened. The Avs couldn’t waste the time of Joe Sakic who quickly entered his late 30s and only had a few years of elite hockey left. The young Avs were starting to develop like Paul Statsny and vets like Milan Hejduk and Andrew Brunette were ready to step up.
Theodore gave them another star to push the Red Wings, Ducks, and Sharks in the Western Conference. He wasn’t very good in the first part of his career, putting up a .887 save percentage in 2006. Then in 2007, he lost his starting job to Peter Budaj. The Avs missed the playoffs, and they were never really Stanley Cup contenders again.
Theodore was good for the Avs in 2007-08, but he was swept out of the playoffs by the Red Wings in the second round. This wasted the last years of Sakic’s career, as he ended up retiring just one year later. Luckily, Sakic learned from this mistake and won’t be making another goalie mistake like he saw his predecessor make as the Avalanche GM.