For every NHL general manager, making the right trades is key to their success. The aim is usually to build a roster that is ready to compete anytime. They often aim to inject new breeds to improve their offensive or defensive power.

Nonetheless, some trades go soar sometimes leaving one team with a cherished asset and the other with nothing but worse. Below are the 4 worst trades in NHL history made by MetaReviews.

Rick Middleton’s trade from New York Rangers to Boston Bruins

Rick Middleton was traded for Ken Hodge in 1976 by New York Rangers to Boston Bruins. Back then, Middleton was one of the rising stars in the league while it appeared that Hodge had already established a name for himself. 

Rick Middleton was traded for Ken Hodge in 1976 by New York Rangers to Boston Bruins. Back then, Middleton was one of the rising stars in the league while it appeared that Hodge had already established a name for himself. 

However, Middleton who was known to love Broadway was coached by Don Cherry, a no-nonsense coach. Middleton had to spend more at the gym to retain a place on the first team. This paid off with 402 goals in 881 games for the Bruins.

On the other hand, Hodge went on to retire early with just 23 goals for the New York Rangers after playing in 96 games.

Montreal Canadiens Trade of Patrick Roy to Colorado Avalanche

The Canadiens traded Patrick Roy with other players like Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko. According to analysts, this trade didn’t favor Montreal. Roy went on to have a good career with the Colorado Avalanche while the Canadiens had a very bad season. 

The Montreal Canadiens lost several of their matches. In fact, they were no longer among the top or competitive teams in the NHL.

Jean Ratelle and Brad Park’s Trade from Rangers to Boston Bruins

In 1974, the Ranger felt the need to infuse new blood into their team after a poor performance that season. To boost their team performance, they traded Jean Ratelle for Phil Esposito.

Before the end of the season, Jean was already scoring so many goals while Phil had a terrible season at Rangers.

Zdeno Chara Traded by New York Islanders to the Ottawa Senators

Since 2001, this trade is the worst New York Islanders have made to date. Zdeno was traded in exchange for Alexei Yashin to Ottawa Senators.

Yashin’s play at New York Islanders dropped drastically while Zdeno went on to shine for his new side Ottawa Senators.