Remembering When the Canadiens Went All-In for Turgeon

There was a time when the Montreal Canadiens didn't just talk about making a trade at the deadline. They went and did something about it. On April 5, 1995, with the deadline just two days away, Canadiens general manager Serge Savard made a pretty big bet. Montreal sent captain Kirk Muller, defenceman Mathieu Schneider and minor-leaguer Craig Darby to the New York Islanders for Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov.

The thinking was pretty simple. Montreal believed it had a chance to make the playoffs, and Savard thought the power play needed some help. Turgeon was supposed to be that help. And, at least initially, he was.

Turgeon Didn't Need Any Time to Get Comfortable.

Turgeon arrived in Montreal and scored the tying goal and set up the winner in his very first game. The Canadiens beat Quebec 6-5, and Turgeon immediately looked like exactly the player Montreal thought it was getting. That's about as good as a deadline acquisition can get.

He didn't just have a nice first game, either. Turgeon finished the season with 20 points in his final 15 games. Then came the following season, when he put up 96 points in his only full season with the Canadiens. Montreal liked what it saw enough to make him captain.

So, yes, this one worked. At least for a while.

And Then Montreal Traded Him Again.

This is the part of the story that makes the whole thing more interesting. Turgeon got off to a slow start in 1996-97, although "slow" is a relative term when a player has 11 points in his first nine games. Montreal apparently decided it was time to move on anyway.

Turgeon was traded to St. Louis, and the Canadiens got Shayne Corson and Murray Baron in return. That trade is still remembered as one of the worst in Canadiens history. And suddenly the original deadline deal looks a little different.

Trades Can Work, or They Can Fall Flat. With Turgeon, the Canadiens Saw Both Sides.

Montreal really did get an immediate boost from Turgeon. It really did get a terrific season out of him. The trade wasn't a failure. But it wasn't a long-term solution either. It might have been. It just never was.

That's actually what makes the Turgeon deal such a useful example when talking about NHL trade deadlines. Even one of the trades that worked only did so in the short term. The Canadiens got exactly what they wanted from Turgeon when they acquired him. Then, less than two years later, they gave him away.

That's the Funny Thing About Trade Deadline Deals.

We tend to remember the moment the player arrives. We remember the goal, the assist, the playoff run and the excitement. We don't always remember what happens afterward. And sometimes that's where the real story is.