August 8, 2018 marked the 30th anniversary of the trade that sent icon Wayne
Gretzky to Los Angeles and sent shockwaves around the hockey world. Gretzky,
along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski, was shipped to the Los Angeles
 Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round picks, and $15
million.

Even more shocking was the fact that Gretzky almost joined the Red Wings
instead. In an interview on NHL Network, Gretzky thought he was going to be a
Red Wing as little as 24 hours before the deal went down.

He ultimately decided on Los Angeles at the urging of his father (thanks,
Walter).

While that would have been a major trade for the Red Wings, the franchise has
completed other significant trades of their own. In this article, we'll break
down the top three trades in Red Wings history.Red Wings Trades: The Brendan
Shanahan Acquisition

Just before opening night of the 1996-97 season, the Red Wings acquired power
forward Brendan Shanahan and veteran defenseman Brian Glynn from the Hartford
Whalers for Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau, and a first-round pick.Brendan Shanahan
 #14 of the Detroit Red Wings (Tom Pidgeon /NHLI/Getty Images)

While Glynn never played for the Red Wings, Shanahan became a legend in
Hockeytown. He would go on to help the Red Wings capture three Stanley Cups,
including the 1997 Cup against Paul Coffey's Philadelphia Flyers (Coffey was
dealt to Philadelphia during the season).Red Wings Trades: Red Wings Restock
EdmontonFormer Red Wings forward Jimmy Carson.

Midway through his second season in Edmonton, Jimmy Carson-who was the main
piece coming back to Edmonton for Gretzky-was dealt to the Red Wings in a savvy
 move by Oilers' general manager Glen Sather. In November of 1989, the Red
Wings acquired Carson, Kevin McClelland, and a fifth-round pick from Edmonton
for gritty forward Adam Graves, former first overall pick Joe Murphy, scoring
winger Petr Klima, and minor league defenseman Jeff Sharples.

While Detroit acquired a talented player in Carson, the three forwards would
help the Oilers capture the Stanley Cup that season. Carson would eventually be
 dealt to Gretzky's Kings in a package for Paul Coffey. It's incredible how the
 separate Gretzky, Carson, Coffey, and Shanahan trades became intertwined and
helped these three franchises.

 Red Wings Trades: Trader Jack Ships Out Ted Lindsay

Following a contract and player unionization push by Ted Lindsay, general
manager Jack Adams shipped the famed left winger to Chicago. In 1957, Lindsay
was traded along with future Hall of Fame goaltender Glenn Hall for goaltender
Hank Bassen, young center Forbes Kennedy, Bill Preston, and left wing Johnny
Wilson, who would begin his second tenure in Detroit.Ted Lindsay, Gordie Howe,
and Sid Abel made up the Red Wings'; Production Line.

Lindsay had called for player unionization to negotiate better contracts and
Adams wanted to keep things as is. Back then, NHL contracts strongly favored
the teams and owners, and players had few negotiating rights when it came to
new contracts. Many players even held offseason jobs to pay the bills.
Lindsay's advocacy for players' rights eventually led to the creation of the
NHLPA.

Following three Stanley Cups in the early-1950s, this trade, along with two
1955 blockbusters, essentially broke up the band. The Red Wings never fully
recovered until the mid-1990s.Final Word on Biggest Red Wings Trades

When thinking about blockbuster deals the Red Wings can make today, consider
the fact that not all major deals work out. With the case of Gretzky and the
Red Wings, non-trades often benefit the team in the end. Detroit';s missing
out on Gretzky set in place a series of events that eventually led to the
acquisition of Shanahan and three Stanley Cups (plus a fourth Cup later on).
How many Cups did Gretzky win after leaving Edmonton? Zero.

This article was originally published in August, 2016.

The post 3 Biggest Trades in Red Wings History appeared first on The Hockey
Writers.

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