Here are the seven incredible trade offers received for Eric Lindros

With the NHL draft fast approaching, the issue that has hockey fans in Quebec talking the most is of course the first overall pick that belongs to the Habs.

But 30 years ago, during the 1992 NHL, the question hockey fans were asking themselves was to which team the Quebec Nordiques would trade their first pick of the previous year, a certain Eric Lindros.

Lindros had refused to wear the Nordiques jersey when the team drafted him first overall in 1991 and a saga ensued that went beyond the boundaries of the sport.

But we're not here to discuss that case, we're here to talk about the famous transaction that saw Lindros traded from the Nordiques to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for goaltender Ron Hextall, defensemen Steve Duchesne and Kerry Huffman, and forwards Mike Ricci, Peter Forsberg and Chris Simon. The deal also included two first-round picks and $15 million U.S., a huge sum for the time.


With hindsight, it is obvious that the Nordiques were winners in this transaction, but if we go back to 1992, Lindros was considered a true phenomenon, a mix of Wayne Gtretzky and Mario Lemieux with the added strength.

In an interview with RDS in 2017, former Nordiques general manager at the time, Pierre Pagé, said that a player of that caliber only comes in at 40.

But did you know that the Flyers weren't the only team to offer the moon to the Nordiques to get Eric Lindros? As reported by Marco Normandin of Habsolumentfan.com, an article published last year by Hockey News reporter Alan Bass, in which he reports on the offers that some NHL teams made to get the No. 88.

By the way, Michel Laprise of RDS and the popular site Balle Courbe made a video about this, a video you can find at the end of the article.

Strap on your toque, we're talking mega deals here.

Detroit Red Wings offer:

- Sergei Fedorov
- Nicklas Lidstrom
- Steve Chiasson
- Martin Lapointe
- Tim Cheveldae
- Draft picks

This is actually not so much an offer from the Red Wings, but rather a request from the Nordiques during their negotiations. Detroit eventually declined.

Calgary Flames offer:

- Mike Vernon
- Gary Suter or Al MacInnis
- Joe Nieuwendyk or Robert Reichel

The Nordiques refused this offer, claiming that it was not enough.

Toronto Maple Leafs offer:

- Felix Potvin
- Wendel Clark
- Dave Ellett
- Craig Berube
- Multiple 1st round picks
- 15 million dollars

The Nordiques, however, demanded that Doug Gilmour's name be involved in all Leafs' offers, forcing Toronto to eventually withdraw from the derby.

New Jersey Devils offer:

- Sean Burke
- Stephane Richer
- Claude Lemieux
- Scott Niedermayer
- Draft picks
- Unknown amount of money

However, the talks between the two formations would not have finally succeeded.

Chicago Blackhawks offer:

- Ed Belfour
- Steve Larmer
- Steve Smith
- Two draft picks
- 5 million dollars

Note that the Nordiques had added draft picks to this offer and it is said that the Blackhawks were ready to offer any combination of players not involving Jeremy Roenick. The two teams would have agreed on this offer, but the owner of the Blackhawks would have decided to cancel the deal because of the $5 million in cash he did not want to pay.

And finally, there was this offer from the New York Rangers that was accepted by both teams:

- Alex Kovalev
- Tony Amonte
- Sergei Nemchinov
- James Patrick
- John Vanbiesbrouck or Mike Richter
- Multiple 1st round picks
- 20 million dollars

But we know what happened next, there was a disagreement as to whether the Rangers offer or the Flyers offer was the official deal and the NHL had to resort to an arbitrator to settle the debate.

Finally, after seven days of hearings in a Montreal hotel, the lawyer Larry Bertuzzi finally decided and it was the Flyers' offer that was accepted.

To think that 30 years later, this transaction continues to raise passions because for the majority of hockey fans, a one-for-one deal between Lindros and Forsberg would have turned to the advantage of the Nordiques.

But imagine if one of the offers mentioned in this article had been accepted? The face of the NHL might be very different today.