Best Flames Trades Countdown: #1 – Bye Joe, hello Jarome

Sometimes, trades solve problems and give everybody what they need.  Back in 1995, the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars connected on one of those trades. It ended up being a great move for both franchises long-term.

Joe Nieuwendyk joined the Flames via the 1985 NHL Draft. He joined the NHL roster full-time in 1987-88 and promptly scored 51 goals and won the Calder Trophy. So… he was pretty good at hockey.

But by the mid ’90s, the Canadian dollar was in the toilet, the Flames were facing economic pressures due to rising salaries and stagnant revenues, and Nieuwendyk wanted a raise. He deserved one, and the Flames couldn’t afford to give him one, so there was a stalemate. Nieuwendyk sat out the beginning of the 1995-96 season to await a trade. Rather than rush to make a move, then-Flames GM Al Coates talked to other GMs and figured out the best move for his team.

On December 19, 1995, just before the Christmas trade freeze, the Flames traded Nieuwendyk to the Dallas Stars for Corey Millen and junior star Jarome Iginla.

In Dallas, Nieuwendyk was what he was in Calgary: an on-ice leader and all-around offensive threat. Millen was 31 when he came to Calgary and on the back nine of his career, but he was a reliable two-way contributor and scored at half a point-per-game pace over a season and a half. Coates famously chose Iginla when given the choice between him and rookie Todd Harvey, their 1993 first round pick. Harvey had 223 points over a 671 game NHL career. Iginla had 1,300 points over a 1,554 game NHL career.

Picking Iginla over Harvey was a smart move, but also pretty lucky. Iginla was two years younger and at that point had amassed a more impressive junior resume than Harvey. But Iginla also happened to click in Calgary, playing on a team that had the time to rebuild and let him develop with tons of ice time.

Dallas needed a piece to put them over the top. With Nieuwendyk, they won a Stanley Cup in 1999 and he was named MVP. The Flames needed to get value for one of their core pieces after some underwhelming returns on some past key pieces from the 1989 team. They ended up getting a player that became the best in franchise history and arguably the top goal-scorer in the game during his peak. (And Millen wasn’t bad, either.)

Coates’ patience and savvy maneuvering led to the greatest trade in Flames history.