It was an unforgettable sight: 18-year-old Eric Lindros being selected first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1991 Entry Draft and refusing the customary tradition of putting on his new jersey. That moment and the subsequent demand to be traded led to one of the biggest blockbuster deals ever made.
One year later, Lindros was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers, where he had a Hall of Fame career before moving on to the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars.
But what if an alternate trade had taken place -- one that was, in fact, just over one hour away from being completed? The course of NHL history would have undoubtedly been changed if Lindros had skated for a team other than the Flyers to begin his career.
Potential trade to the New York Rangers
At the 1992 Draft, one year following the selection of Lindros, Nordiques president Marcel Aubut verbally agreed to a trade with Flyers GM Russ Farwell. Lindros had previously stated he'd refuse to play for the Nordiques, and he personally approved of the trade via phone call so it seemed all but confirmed.
However, Aubut had second thoughts and just 80 minutes later, he verbally agreed to a separate deal that would have sent Lindros to the Rangers instead. That package would have been massive, including Sergei Nemchinov, Tony Amonte, Alexei Kovalev, James Patrick, and either John Vanbiesbrouck or Mike Richter.
An independent arbitrator sided with the Flyers which sent Steve Duchesne, Peter Forsberg, Ron Hextall, Kerry Huffman, Mike Ricci, Chris Simon, two first-round picks, and an additional $15 million to Quebec.
Had Lindros joined the Rangers ahead of the 1992-93 season, it could have greatly impacted the trajectory of that team. New York wound up missing the playoffs that year, which may not have been the case otherwise. Tony Amonte did finish with the second-most points on the team with 76, but Lindros tallied 75 points in 61 games his rookie season, perfectly replacing the offense Amonte provided.
Could the Rangers have made the postseason in 1993 with Lindros? Maybe, but it also would have majorly affected New York's Stanley Cup chances. The team relied heavily on its depth, which would have been stripped in the Lindros trade. Guys like Kovalev and Richter were instrumental in the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup victory.
Adding Lindros could have meant greater success down the line, though, once GM Neil Smith was able to recoup the losses. The duo of Lindros alongside Mark Messier would have been one of the toughest to play against in the league and could have resulted in multiple Stanley Cups throughout the late '90s.
Although it also means that Wayne Gretzky may have never become a New York Ranger. With the cap space that Lindros would have been taking up, it would have been impossible for the Rangers to manage the massive salaries of Lindros, Messier, and Gretzky at the same time.
Meanwhile, had the Flyers been able to keep most of the roster intact, the addition of Forsberg could have made them a perennial Stanley Cup contender. Lindros helped carry the team to tremendous playoff success, but Philadelphia was never able to win a championship under his leadership.
The team would have been higher-scoring with someone like Forsberg leading the way, but the physical edge that Lindros was known for would be lost and thus changed the identity of the forward group.
What if Lindros played for the Nordiques?
Would the Nordiques still have been relocated to Colorado if Lindros joined the team instead of demanding a trade? The answer is, probably. The team's financial problems were too massive to overcome, even in the face of tremendous on-ice success.
In reality, the team got an NHL legend in Forsberg and a goalie in his prime in Hextall. Hall of Famer Joe Sakic was already a cornerstone of the roster. Quebec completed a historic turnaround from dead last to a 100-point season in 1993, making the playoffs that year and again in 1995. None of that was enough to prevent the relocation, even with a surge in fan support.
The problem Lindros had was with the team's management, and he wasn't alone in that sentiment. Another alternate trade would have involved Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman being sent to Quebec, and Yzerman publicly stated that he would have also refused to play for that team.
Under different management, the newly-relocated Colorado Avalanche thrived in Denver and won a Stanley Cup in the inaugural season in 1995-96 -- off the backs of guys like Forsberg and Ricci. The Avs became one of the league's strongest teams of the next five years, and that success wouldn't have happened if the team 1.) remained in Quebec and 2.) hadn't acquired its final puzzle pieces in the Lindros trade.
On a personal level, injuries unfortunately limited what Lindros was able to accomplish at the NHL level. But his lasting impact on the Philadelphia Flyers has made him a legend in his own right, and we will simply never know what could have happened if the trade worked out differently.