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uncleleo16 · 7 years ago

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A History of Recent NHL Expansion

The Las Vegas Golden Knights will be the 31st NHL team and are the 10th team since 1991 to be added to the NHL. The Previous nine teams were the San Jose Sharks (1991), Ottawa Senators (1992), Tampa Bay Lightning (1992), Florida Panthers (1993), Anaheim Ducks (1993), Nashville Predators (1998), Atlanta Thrashers (1999), Minnesota Wild (2000) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000). This list does not include the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and the Carolina Hurricanes who all formed from relocation of already existing teams. The first season seems to be always tough on the expansion teams but some of these expansion teams have enjoyed great success in the NHL since their arrival. I’ll be looking at their first year in the league and how far they have come since then.

San Jose Sharks (1991-present)

First Season (1991-92): 17-58-5, the Sharks were the worst team in the league with only 39 points and 58 losses. They only managed 219 goals while allowing 359 goals. Their Coach George Kingston coached for two seasons and he has a NHL coaching record of 28-129-7. The Sharks first captain, Doug Wilson was a veteran presence who had spent the previous 14 teams with the Chicago Blackhawks.The Sharks were hoping first overall pick Pat Falloon would add some offensive spark to the team, the rookie had 25 goals and 59 points in 79 games to lead the team in scoring by a significant margin. The Sharks biggest defeats included a 9-0 loss against the Devils on October 26th and a 11-1 loss against Detroit on February 15. The Sharks also started the season going 1-15-0 and ended up using 5 different goalies throughout the season. Overall, the debut in San Jose was fairly bad.

Since 1992: The Sharks since 1992 have had 19 playoff appearances, 6 divisional champions, 4 50 win seasons and one Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Patrick Marleau is the teams all time leader in points and goals with 508 goals and 1082 points in 1493 games. In 2005-06 season the Sharks witnessed Joe Thornton winning the Art Ross and the Hart Memorial trophy while Jonathan Cheechoo won the Maurice Richard Award for league leader in Goals. In 2001 goaltender Evgeni Nabokov won the Calder Memorial trophy for his terrific rookie season. The Sharks are a team that has become a staple in the NHL playoffs but they have also gained a reputation for falling short in critical situations. The fan base in San Jose is passionate and they never really struggle selling seats in the Bay area.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Owen Nolan (95-03) Joe Thornton (05-pre.) Patrick Marleau (97-17)

D D GK

Scott Hannan(98-15) M-E. Vlasic (06-17) Evgeni Nabokov (99-10)

Was It a Success?: The Sharks struggled at first but are a great example of expansion working. They have developed a loyal fanbase and have been successful on the ice with their consistent play and off ice management ability.

Ottawa Senators (1992-present)

First Season (1992-93): 10-70-4, It can be argued that this was the worst debut season for any expansion team. 24 points in 84 games with only 202 goals scored. They posted a road record of 1-41-0, winning their only road game against the Islanders on April 10th. Their coach Rick Bowness had coached the Bruins to the playoffs during the previous season. He remained coached in Ottawa for three miserable seasons before being fired and taking a short term job in New York as the Islanders coach before being fired. The Senators were lead by long time Winnipeg Jet Laurie Boschman as their captain during his final NHL season. The Senators ran a goaltending duo of Peter Sidorkiewicz and Daniel Berthiaume that combined for a 4.35 GAA and a .864 SV%. The leading scorer was defenseman Norm Maciver with 17 goals and 63 points in 80 games.

Since 1993: The Senators following three seasons were bad with three consecutive last place in conference finishes. Then in 1997 lead by Alexei Yashin, Daniel Alfredsson and Steve Duchesne the Sens sneaked into the playoffs. Then for 10 straight seasons, the Ottawa Senators were in the playoffs, including a Finals appearance in 2007. The Senators have 1 presidents trophy, 4 divisonal championships and were recently in their third conference Finals before losing to the Penguins in 7 games. The Senators have build a fanbase in Canada but still struggle in attendance when compared to the other Canadian fan bases.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Alexei Yashin(93-01) Jason Spezza (02-14) Daniel Alfredsson (95-13)

D D GK

Chris Phillips (97-15) Erik Karlsson (09-17) Patrick Lalime (99-04)

Was it a Success?: Yes, the Senators have become brought hockey one of the greatest rivals since 2000 with the Battle of Ontario and they have had major success on the ice since the early 2000s despite not winning a Stanley Cup. While the fan base can be criticized for lack of attendance at times, the Senators have very passionate fans that also root for their team.

Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-present)

First Season (1992-93): 23-54-7, The Lightning were not good their first season but they were respectable. Head coach Terry Crisp had previously won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames a few years prior in 1989 as head coach. The Lightning even opened their season with a 7-3 home victory against the Chicago Blackhawks and although they had a rough second half of the season, the Lightning performed better than fellow expansion team, Ottawa. Forward and one of three alternate captains, Brain Bradley lead the team with 42 goals and 86 points in 80 games. The team rotated between three goaltenders throughout the season but never found reliable goaltending. The Lightning also had one of the best names in hockey history on their team with defenseman Bob Beers, who had 12 goals and 36 points in 64 games.

Since 1993: The Lightning struggled for the following nine seasons with only one playoff appearance in 1996. Then they appeared in the 2003 playoffs and in 2004 lead by Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Dan Boyle and Nikolai Khabibulin, the Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in 7 games to win their first Stanley Cup. Following the 2005 lockout, the Lightning Stanley Cup team slowly started to separate before they returned to the Cup Finals in 2015 lead by Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Ben Bishop. The Lightning unfortunately fell short in 6 games against Chicago but the Lightning have been a strong team for the past four seasons and look to contend for another Stanley Cup.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Steven Stamkos (08-17) Vincent Lecavalier (98-13) Martin St. Louis (00-14)

D D GK

Dan Boyle (01-08) Victor Hedman (09-17) Nikolai Khabibulin (00-04)

Was it a Success?: The Lightning are a success based on their Stanley Cup victory and their ability to develop a hockey market in the southern United States. the Lightning have a good fan base that follows this success franchise.

Florida Panthers (1993-present)

First Season (1993-94): 33-34-17, The Panthers missed the playoffs by one point in their debut season and surprised the NHL by how competitive this team was. Their coach Roger Nielson had 11 NHL seasons as a head coach under his belt and captain Brian Skrudland was a Stanley Cup winner in Montreal. The team was lead offensively by Scott Mellanby who had 30 goals and 60 points in 80 games and John Vanbiesbrouck was stellar in net going 21-25-11 with a .924 SV% and a 2.53 GAA. Vanbiesbrouck is the similar to Marc-Andre Fleury on the Golden Knights because Vanbiesbrouck was a very good goalie on a team with two good goalies. Vanbiesbrouck was exposed at the draft and the Rangers protected Mike Richter instead.

Since 1994: Two years following their great start into the NHL, the Florida Panthers made their first playoff appearance in amazing fashion. The 1996 playoffs saw the Panthers eliminate the Boston Bruins in round one, the tough Philadelphia Flyers in round two and the unstoppable Penguins offense in Round three to set up a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Colorado Avalanche faced the upstar Panthers in a match-up for the decades but the finals itself wasn’t close. A 4-0 series win for the Avalanche including a 8-1 thrashing in game 2 ended the Panthers cinderella story season. The Panthers then went 1-8 in playoff games over the next four seasons before going on a 10 year streak of not making the postseason. Florida has made the playoffs twice in the past six seasons but has yet to win a playoff round since the 1996 playoffs.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Scott Mellanby (93-01) Olli Jokinen (00-08) Pavel Bure (98-02)

D D GK

Robert Svehla (94-02) Jay Bouwmeester (02-09) John Vanbiesbrouck (93-98)

Was it a Success?: The Panthers are not a success. The team has been an afterthought for most of their 24 year existence. Only 5 playoff appearances in 23 seasons and attendance struggling year after year. The 1996 playoffs are a great memory but most sports fans in Miami area haven’t given the Panthers enough dedication. With Relocation rumours every season, it seems as if the Miami area for hockey wasn’t a strong idea.

Anaheim Ducks (1993-present):

First Season (1993-94): 33-46-5, The Ducks were competitive in their first season in the NHL, finishing 9th in the conference and 4th in the Pacific division. First year coach Ron Wilson had previously been the assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks after he finished his playing career in 1988 with the Minnesota North Stars. The team was lead offensively by Terry Yake and Bob Corkum who each had a 50 point season. Goaltenders Guy Hebert, Ron Tugnutt and Mikhail Shtalenkov all had a GAA above .907% and combined for 3 shutouts throughout the season. The Ducks also used their 4th overall draft pick to select future all star Paul Kariya.

Since 1994: The Ducks made their first playoff appearance in 1997 lead by the dynamic duo of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya with Guy Hebert providing stability in net. The Ducks lost in the second round in a 4 game sweep against Detroit. The Ducks struggled then until the 2003 season where Jean-Sebastian Giguere put on the greatest individual goaltending performance of all time in the postseason on the way to the Stanley Cup final. The Ducks lost in 7 games despite Giguere winning the Conn Smythe trophy with a 15-6 record, 1.62 GAA and a .945 SV%. Following the 2005 lockout, the Ducks made the Conference Finals in 2006 losing to the Oilers in 5 games. In the 2007 postseason the Ducks made the Stanley Cup Finals lead by Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Pronger, Teemu Selanne and J.S. Giguere. The Ducks beat the Senators in 5 games to claim their first Stanley Cup. Since 2007 they have made the playoffs 8 times in 10 seasons with 2 conference Finals defeats and 5 divisional championships.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Paul Kariya (94-03) Ryan Getzlaf (05-pre.) Teemu Selanne (95-14)

D D GK

Scott Niedermayer (05-10) Chris Pronger (06-09) J.S. Giguere (00-10)

Was it a Success?: The Whole Disney element was interesting and the Ducks did gain a lot of attention in Southern California for a lot time but recent years success a disinterest in their fanbase. The Ducks are one of the top teams in the league for the past 10 years but they are in the bottom 10 teams in terms of attendance and selling out games.

Nashville Predators (1998-present):

First Season (1998-99): 28-47-7, Nashville wasn’t particularly strong on the ice but the franchise made strong moves acquiring young prospects Tomas Vokoun and Scott Walker in the expansion draft, drafting David Legwand second overall in the draft, making Barry Trotz the head coach and David Poile the General Manager. Poile is still the General Manager of the Predators and Barry Trotz was head coach until 2014. The team was lead by veteran forwards Cliff Ronning and Greg Johnson who each had 50 points. The team captain was forward Tom Fitzgerald, who would remain captain for the following three seasons. Russian forward Sergei Krivokrasov leads the team with 25 goals despite finishing his NHL career with only 86 goals in 450 games. His only full season in Nashville was the career highlight for the Russian journeyman.

Since 1999: The Predators didn’t qualify for the playoffs until 2004 where they finished 8th in the Western Conference and were eliminated by Detroit in the first round. Since the 2005 lockout they have made the playoffs nine times in twelve seasons. They have never won their divison or finished a season above 3rd in the Conference. However, the Predators consistently make the playoffs and this past season they were finally rewarded with their first Conference Finals appearance and their First Stanley Cup Finals appearance. They were also an 8th seed and never had home ice advantage throughout their postseason. Lead by forwards Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, Defenseman Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Goaltender Pekka Rinne. The balanced Predators team was terrific defensively and capitalized offensively on their way to the Cup Finals.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Steve Sullivan (03-11) David Legwand (98-14) Filip Forsberg (12-17)

D D GK

Shea Weber (05-16) Kimmo Timonen (98-07) Pekka Rinne (05-17)

Was it a Success?: Anybody who watched this years playoffs and saw the atmosphere in Nashville understands that this was a successful expansion team. The Predators constantly sell out their games and the team itself has also been very successful throughout the years.

Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2011):

First Season (1999-00): 14-57-7-4, The Thrashers were awful in 2000 with only 14 wins and very few bright spots on this team. Ray Ferraro was their starting center with 44 points in 81 games and Andrew Brunette lead the team with 23 goals and 50 points in 81 games. The team rotated between 5 goaltenders, none of the goaltenders lasted more than 2 seasons in the NHL following this season. Head coach Curt Fraser wasn’t very effective and lost his job 3 seasons later, while first overall pick Patrik Stefan only had 5 goals and 25 points in 72 games and never scored more than 14 goals or 40 points in a season. the next two players drafted after Stefan? Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

Since 2000: The next 10 seasons in Georgia were fairly disappointing except for one strong season in 2007, where the Thrashers made their only postseason appearance. Lead by the big 3 of Marian Hossa, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Ilya Kovalchuk, the Thrashers won the Southeast division and faced off against the Rangers in the first round. The Rangers swept the Thrashers in 4 games and as a result, the Thrashers never won a playoff game in their 11 season existence. Following the 2010-11 season, the team relocated to Winnipeg. The fans in Winnipeg have been pleading for a team ever since the Jets were sent to Arizona, while nobody in Atlanta seemed to care once the Thrashers were relocated.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Ilya Kovalchuk (01-10) Marc Savard (02-06) Marian Hossa (05-08)

D D GK

Garnet Exelby (02-09) Frantisek Kaberle (99-04) Kari Lehtonen (03-09)

Was it a Success?: No, this team was so unpopular in Georgia and their attendance and success was so bad that they relocated after only 11 seasons. I do miss the mid-2000 thrashers because of Ilya Kovalachuk, Marc Savard and Marian Hossa and how lethal their offense was during a short span. Unfortunately, Atlanta is not a hockey city.

Minnesota Wild (2000-present):

First Season (2000-01): 25-39-13-5, The Wild won one game in their first 10 and struggled to get on track throughout their debut season. Head coach Jacques Lemaire had won a Stanley Cup as coach of the Devils back in 1995 and would remain the Wild captain for the following 7 seasons. The Wild struggled offensively with their top scorer, Scott Pellerin only recording 11 goals and 39 points in 58 games. First round draft pick Marian Gaborik had 18 goals and 36 points in his 71 game rookie season. Goaltender Manny Fernandez was solid with a 19-17-4 record with a 2.24 GAA and a .920 SV%.

Since 2001: The Wild have made the playoffs eight times in the following fifteen seasons but have only reached the Conference Finals once. In the 2003 playoffs lead by Marian Gaborik and Manny Fernandez the Wild reached the Conference Finals as heavy underdogs in their first postseason appearance. They were swept by the Anaheim Ducks in the Conference Finals but gained tremendous experience in the process. The Wild most recently during the 2016-17 season finished with 106 points and 49 wins during a tremendous regular season. They lost to the Blues in 5 games but the future in Minnesota looks very bright.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Brian Rolston (05-08) Mikko Koivu (05-17) Marian Gaborik (00-09)

D D GK

Ryan Suter (12-17) Brent Burns (03-11) Devan Dubnyk (14-17)

Was it a Success?: Yes, Minnesota should have never lost the North Stars and the State needs a hockey team. The Wild are one of the most popular teams in the league by their own fanbase. The team has also been very successful throughout the years.

Columbus Blue Jackets (2000-present):

First Season (2000-01): 28-39-9-6, The Blue Jackets were okay in their debut season and managed to tie with the Blackhawks for 12th in the Western Conference. Lead offensively by Geoff Sanderson with 30 goals and 56 points in 68 games and Espen Knutsen with 11 goals and 53 points in 66 games. Ron Tugnutt went 22-25-5 in net with a 2.44 GAA and a .917 SV%. Team Captain and former Stanley Cup Champion Lyle Odelein had 17 points and 118 penalty minutes in 81 games for the club.

Since 2001: The Blue Jackets haven’t been very successful since 2001 with only 3 postseason appearances in the following 15 seasons. Their record in the postseason is 3-12 with their most recent defeat coming this postseason against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games. The Jackets highest finish was last season when they finished third in the Conference with 50 wins and 108 points. The Franchise hopes to improve on a stellar season and possibly win a series in the 2018 playoffs.

All Time Team:

LW C RW

Rick Nash (02-12) Cam Atkinson (11-17) David Vyborny (00-08)

D D GK

Rostislav Klesla (00-11) Fedor Tyutin (08-16) Sergei Bobrovsky (12-17)

Was it a Success?: maybe, the Blue Jackets have been fairly awful for most of their existence and thanks to the success of Ohio State Football, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Indians, the Blue Jackets haven’t been given much attention. The recent success in 2016-17 has raised awareness of the franchise in Ohio however and hopefully the Jackets can continue to develop a fanbase.

Conclusion:

The Vegas Golden Knights will not make the playoffs in year one. They might however come very close to the postseason, such as the Florida Panthers did in their opening season. The success of Vegas hockey depends on how well the community accepts the new team. It will not be as big of a success as the Minnesota Wild or the Nashville Predators but the Golden Knights have potential to develop a fanbase similar to the Blue Jackets. The Worst case scenario is obviously the Atlanta Thrashers. This is the scenario that many hockey fans are hoping for because of Gary Bettman’s lack of interest to invest in true hockey markets such as Seattle, Quebec, Hamilton and others.

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yahoo-puck-daddy-blog · 7 years ago

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What if … Devils never won Scott Stevens from Blues? (NHL Alternate History)

(Ed. Note: It’s the NHL Alternate History project! We’ve asked fans and bloggers from 31 teams to pick one turning point in their franchise’s history and ask ‘what if things had gone differently?’ Trades, hirings, firings, wins, losses, injuries … all of it. How would one different outcome change the course of history for an NHL team? Today, it’s a plucky up and coming writer named Greg Wyshynski on the New Jersey Devils. Enjoy!)

By Greg Wyshynski

In Summer 1991, the St. Louis Blues signed New Jersey Devils free agent forward Brendan Shanahan to a four-year free-agent deal worth $5 million.

(In total. Yeah, it was a different time in the NHL. There was even a president instead of a commissioner!)

Shanahan was considered one of the best young offensive players in the League, and the Blues snagging the 22 year old was their second straight summertime coup: They had signed Washington Capitals star defenseman Scott Stevens in 1990 to a four-year, $5.1 million restricted free-agent contract, and surrendered five first-round draft picks to the Capitals to do so.

As a Group I restricted free agent, the Devils were due compensation from the Blues for losing Shanahan. And here’s where the fun begins.

The NHL took long over a month and a half to finally approve Shanahan’s deal with the Blues, and the two teams began their compensation talks. New Jersey anticipated that without first-round picks to ante up, the Blues might not offer a fair package for having signed away a player like Shanahan. So they aimed high in the hopes of winning the arbitration.

The Devils were rumored to consider asking for center Adam Oates, coming off a 115-point season, as compensation. There was talk they might aim even higher to ask for all-world sniper Brett Hull. Also in the mix: Stevens, having played just one season in St. Louis.

The Blues steadfastly refused to discuss sending Oates, Stevens or Hull to the Devils. At a stalemate, the case was sent to NHL arbitrator Judge Edward J. Houston of Ottawa. Each team submitted a proposal. The Blues felt theirs was a solid one: 23-year-old goalie Curtis Joseph, who had 45 NHL games under his belt with (thus far) middling results; 21-year-old forward Rod Brind’Amour, with 43 goals in his first two seasons; and a couple of compensatory draft picks.

The addition of Brind’Amour in the deal was seen as the aggressive ante, with the anticipation that the Devils would ask for a more established star.

And they did. They asked for Scott Stevens.

On September 3, 1991, Houston made his decision: The Blues lost, the Devils won. Which would be the case for the duration of Stevens’s NHL career, spent with the Devils, with whom he won three Stanley Cups, including a Conn Smythe Trophy win in 2000.

So this being an NHL Alternate History project, we suppose it’s time to get to the Earth 2 timeline that is …

What If The St. Louis Blues Won The Brendan Shanahan Arbitration, And The Devils Never Had Been Given Scott Stevens?

Let’s get the Blues out of the way first.

Please recall they went after Brendan Shanahan after one of the most inexplicable and terrible trades in franchise history: The March 1991 deal that saw them add Garth Butcher and Dan Quinn from the Vancouver Canucks for forwards Geoff Courtnall, Cliff Ronning, Sergio Momesso and defenseman Robert Dirk. All four of those players were on the Canucks’ 1994 Stanley Cup finalist. Quinn played 14 games for the Blues before being moved in another bad trade. Butcher would go on to play around four seasons in St. Louis.

Which is to say that even if they keep Stevens after signing Shanahan, the Blues were a toxic cocktail of specious management and cheap ownership at the time. Does Adam Oates still get traded to Boston because of a salary dispute with Blues ownership? If anything, having both Shanahan and Stevens on the books for the next few seasons makes that even more probable.

Stevens undoubtedly makes the Blues better on the back end, but in front of what? Curtis Joseph was the heir between the pipes, and played there for the next five years. Without him, do they turn to Guy Hebert, who was selected in the expansion draft by the Mighty Ducks? Or do they go outside the organization for a netminder (keeping in mind they couldn’t use the five first-round picks they had given the Capitals for Stevens)?

If the Blues have a 30-year-old Stevens on the blue line, does Mike Keenan still trade Shanahan for Chris Pronger in 1995? Does Stevens even coexist with Keenan?

So yeah, no promises there for the Blues if they won the arbitration.

Now, what if the Devils ended up with Joseph and Brind’Amour?

Let’s start with Rod The Bod.

The Devils had a constant need at center in the early 1990s, and into their first Cup run. The centers on the 1991-92 team: Kevin Todd, a 35-year-old Peter Stastny, Laurie Boschman and a collection of Dave Barr, Alexander Semak and the great Jarrod Skalde. They would later trade for players like Bernie Nicholls and Neal Broten as veteran solutions at center, and eventually go all-in for Doug Gilmour.

By 1993-95, Brind’Amour had hit his offensive stride, notching 86 and then 97 points with the Philadelphia Flyers, while playing the kind of defense then would eventually get him Selke Trophy recognition. It’s not difficult to see him fitting with the Devils’ changing system, and having a long run with the club at forward, especially since he was a versatile one.

The 1995 Devils could have had Brind’Amour, Brian Rolston, Bobby Carptenter and Bobby Holik at center; or those three minus Rolston, who shifts to wing, with the Sergei Brylin and Jim Dowd platoon as the other center. Do they even make the Broten trade then?

There are, of course, many reasons that Devils team won the Stanley Cup, including a soul-sucking defensive system that ruined hockey as we knew it. But two of the primary ones might not have been on that team if the Blues won the arbitration:

Scott Stevens and Martin Brodeur.

Without Stevens, the Devils still had a solid collection of defensemen on which to build their defensive system. (Assuming they still play the trap without two of the players who made it work so effectively.) Scott Niedermayer wouldn’t have had Stevens as a mentor, but would have taken on his role as the defense’s top dog. Ken Daneyko and Bruce Driver were still in their primes. Viacheslav Fetisov wasn’t, but was still kicking around. Tommy Albelin was a steady presence as well.

What the team doesn’t have if the Blues kept Stevens is his ferocious competitive fire and undeniable leadership on the ice. When he wasn’t thumping opponents with totally legal hits, he was the thumping heart of these Devils teams. Expecting them to replicate their quasi-dynasty without Stevens on defense is nearly impossible to conceive. Whatever level of success they achieved, it was Stevens who enabled them to get to the next one. That’s indisputable.

Now, as for Brodeur … now we’re talking about a hockey history-altering moment.

Joseph was 24 years old in 1991, with two years under his belt. He was a burgeoning star between the pipes, as this Buffalo News take on him in 1993 reminds us:

Say all you want about Felix Potvin (and everyone did last season), this kid may someday be the best. Led the league in save percentage (.911) last season despite a slow start. Joseph has the style for the game today: quick, with an emphasis on side-to-side movement and the instinctive ability to follow a puck through traffic. Has excellent concentration, competitive instincts and maybe the best stick in the game. What separates Joseph from the others is he’s a workhorse (68 games last season) and is superb under pressure.

Brodeur was drafted by the Devils at No. 20 overall in 1990, and would have been 19 years old when Joseph was in his first season in New Jersey, with Chris Terreri as his backup. So a few basic questions that need to be addressed in this “what if?”

Does Brodeur remain with the Devils if they land Curtis Joseph?

That’s the ‘three Stanley Cup championships, four Vezina trophies and a Hall of Famer career’ question.

If the Devils’ goalie duo is CuJo and Terreri, where does Brodeur get his shot to take over the crease? Well, the path is probably to overtake Terreri as the backup and then wait for Joseph to falter as the starter. But with a proven, young workhorse goalie like CuJo there, does Brodeur ever get a chance to do this? Does he become the classic “understudy goalie who gets traded to someone in need of a starter,” with Joseph as the Devils goalie in the trap years? Or does he outplay CuJo and force the Devils to deal him instead?

Does CuJo thrive in the trap?

Of course. He had all the tools to play well in that system, although obviously not Brodeur’s unparalleled ability to act as a third defenseman back there. Joseph was a Vezina-caliber goalie; putting him behind the Devils’ defense and into that system, there’s no telling how his career is transformed if he gets the crease over Brodeur.

Does Brodeur still become Brodeur elsewhere?

Of course not.

He’s a special goalie, and an all-world talent. But the symbiotic relationship between Brodeur, the talent in front of him and the system the Devils played was the perfect storm to create a Hall of Fame career. (And let’s not get into the chicken-or-the-egg argument about who made who, because they made each other.)

This isn’t to say that Brodeur becomes, say, Curtis Joseph if he’s forced to play somewhere other than New Jersey, although that’s entirely plausible if his teams aren’t championship caliber. Frankly, without Stevens on the team, perhaps he never challenges Patrick Roy’s records, or stakes the claim as G.O.A.T. of goalies either, if he remains in New Jersey.

But again, he’s an all-timer because of his incredible talent that isn’t simply a product of that system, no matter how many Roy fans claim otherwise. He would have been outstanding playing anywhere, but maybe not a Hall of Famer.

Do the Devils win Stanley Cup(s) with CuJo and Brind’Amour, and without Stevens and Brodeur?

Yes. At least one, I’d imagine.

Lamoriello was savvy and aggressive enough to take what was still a potent core and surround it with the types of players he acquired to create these Devils championship teams. Yes, Stevens and Brodeur were the foundation, but this franchise produced Patrik Elias, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, and acquired players like Claude Lemieux, Jason Arnott, Alex Mogilny, Brian Rafalski and Joe Nieuwendyk along the way.

Joseph would have been 32 in 2000, when the Devils won their second Cup and when he was a Vezina finalist with the Maple Leafs in our timeline. (And not for nothing, but CuJo’s career playoff save percentage was.917; Brodeur’s was .919.)

So, in summary, if the Blues had won the arbitration hearing:

– Not so good for Scott Stevens.

– Really good for Eric Lindros.

– Pretty good for the Blues, provided they figure out their goaltending and aren’t a bunch of cheap-wads.

– Really great for Curtis Joseph.

– Maybe not the best for Martin Brodeur, but not a death-knell for his career greatness either.

– Not the best for the Devils, who probably don’t have the perfect goalie for their system and lose out on the perfect defenseman to elevate their franchise.

– Horrible for the trapezoid.

– Probably par for the course for Rob Brind’Amour, who never fulfills his offensive promise, becomes a defensive whiz and doesn’t get truly appreciated until he wins a Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Now, about those conditional draft picks the Devils got in the arbitration rul … you know what, let’s just leave those for the next alternate history project.

Greg Wyshynski is an occasional guest on movie podcasts.

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PREVIOUSLY ON NHL ALTERNATE HISTORY

What if … the Islanders never hired Mike Milbury?

What if … Dallas drafted the other Lundqvist brother?

What if … Jonathan Drouin’s Tampa time wasn’t so chaotic?

What if … Minnesota Wild hired Pierre McGuire as GM?

What if … Florida had traded Roberto Luongo for Joe Thornton?

What if … the Martin Gelinas goal counted for Calgary?

What if … the Oilers never traded for Chris Pronger?

What if … the Blues had drafted Jonathan Toews instead?

What if … the Bruins never lost Marc Savard?

What if … the Anaheim Ducks drafted Sidney Crosby?

What if … the Red Wings had signed Marian Hossa?

What if … the Canucks won the first NHL Draft Lottery?

What if … the Hurricanes had signed Sergei Fedorov?

What if … the Flyers hadn’t lost Chris Pronger?

What if … Avalanche never matched Joe Sakic offer sheet?

What if … the Capitals didn’t hire Dale Hunter and Adam Oates?

What If … Terry Pegula owned Sabres in the 1990s?

What If … the Predators had let Shea Weber walk?

What if … the Senators had traded for Gary Roberts?

What If … Wayne Gretzky was sold to Winnipeg Jets?

What if … the Penguins had drafted Bobby Clarke?

What if … LA Kings missed 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs?

What if … NY Rangers didn’t win 1994 Stanley Cup?

What if … Montreal Canadiens never drafted Carey Price?

What if … the Columbus Blue Jackets had drafted Anze Kopitar?

What if … the Sharks traded Thornton and Marleau in 2014?

What if … the Maple Leafs didn’t trade for Tom Kurvers?

What if … the Blackhawks had traded for Lindros?