Major Cancelled Trade Revealed: The Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers Nearly Changed the Landscape of the Entire NHL

Recently, a failed blockbuster trade from 2016 has surfaced that would have sent Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse to Montreal in exchange for PK Subban.

(Subban was never traded for Hall but the account corrects themselves)

This failed trade would have shaped the landscape of the NHL. First off, Leon Draisaitl would not longer be an Oiler which would have meant that he would have broken out with the Canadiens. He is coming off 5 straight 100-point pace seasons and is a top five player in the world.

Additionally, the Canadiens would now have a number one defenseman in Darnell Nurse who would be able to replace Subban down the line. While Nurse is not near prime Subban, he is still quite respectable.

Finally, the Canadiens would have received the 4th overall pick. They could have used this on Jesse Puljujarvi but there is also a solid chance they take Matthew Tkachuk in his place due to Tkachuk's physical capabilities (like how Brady Tkachuk went over Filip Zadina in 2018).

Flat out, the Oilers lose this trade. They lose a superstar and a future number one defenseman for PK Subban who is already retired from hockey. While Subban was great for the remainder of the 2010s, he fell off in the 2020s and is now retired and in broadcasting.

The Oilers would have also received the 9th pick which was originally used on Mikhail Sergachev but it likely would have not been Sergachev if Edmonton did this trade.

They already had Subban and would have needed to get a prospect to replace Draisaitl and those available at 9 are not too good today.

While it would have been fun to see McDavid and Subban together, it is a lot more entertaining to watch McDavid and Draisaitl work their magic together.

As seen on Hockey OTB - The Trade That Would Have Sent Draisaitl Across the Country Has Been Revealed