7 Biggest Trades in St. Louis Blues History, Ranked

The St. Louis Blues have been involved in some of the most infamous trades in NHL history.

Some, like the deal for Brett Hull, changed the franchise for the better. Others, like the trade that sent Adam Oates packing, still haunt fans to this day.

All of that and more in my countdown of the seven biggest trades in the history of the St. Louis Blues.

7 Biggest St. Louis Blues Trades in Team History

1. Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley for Brett Hull and Steve Bozek  

This is the move that changed everything for the St. Louis Blues.

Brett Hull was viewed as a high-ceiling player at the time of this trade, but the Calgary Flames worried about his commitment to the sport off the ice. It was a big enough issue that Calgary was OK with moving Hull, who was 23 years old at the time.

It turned out that all Hull needed was a change of scenery.

“The Golden Brett” scored 41 goals in his first full season in St. Louis, but he took things to an all-world level in the following years. Hull scored 72 goals in 1989-1990, 86 in 1990-1991, and 70 in 1991-1992. 

All told, Hull scored a franchise-record 527 goals in 744 games with the Blues.

2. Tage Thompson, Patrik Berglund, Vladimir Sobotka, and a First-Round Pick for Ryan O’Reilly

The Blues were stuck in second gear for much of the 2010s, but this trade changed all of that.Ryan O’Reilly was brought in to be the No. 1 centre for the Blues and give St. Louis a terrific 1-2 punch, along with Brayden Schenn, down the middle.

At first, the deal didn’t seem like it was going to pan out.

St. Louis struggled through the first half of the 2018-2019 season and had some of the longest hockey odds to win the Stanley Cup by New Year’s Day, but the Blues caught fire from that point on and went on one of the great Cinderella Runs in NHL history – culminating in their only Stanley Cup, with O’Reilly winning the Conn Smythe.

3. Adam Oates for Craig Janney and Stephane Quintal

There were several trades that stemmed from contract disputes in the 1990s, but this one is the most lopsided.

Adam Oates was one of the best players in the NHL when this deal was made in 1992, but the team and Oates couldn’t settle on a new deal.

That led to friction, which in turn led to a trade with the Boston Bruins that would go down as the worst in the team’s history.  

4. Craig Johnson, Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat, a First-Round Pick and a Fifth-Round Pick for Wayne Gretzky

This isn’t “The Trade,” but anytime a deal involves Wayne Gretzky it’s going to cause a stir.

That’s exactly what happened when the Los Angeles Kings sent “The Great One” to St. Louis for three players and two draft picks.

Gretzky would only play 18 total games with the Blues, but this deal still rocked the hockey world enough to warrant a spot on this list.

5. Brendan Shanahan for Chris Pronger

Perhaps the biggest one-for-one deal in the modern era, both Brendan Shanahan and Chris Pronger were at the beginning of hall-of-fame careers when they were dealt for one another.

Although Shanahan would become one of the best scorers in the league after the deal, Pronger became the face of the franchise and formed one of the best defensive pairings of the era with Al MacInnis.

Pronger’s crowning achievement came in 1999-2000 when he won the Hart Trophy as a defenceman and led the Blues to the Presidents’ Trophy.

The Blues of that era were regularly considered one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup according to their NHL odds.

6. Phil Housley and two Second-Round Picks for Al MacInnis and a Fourth-Round Pick

A point-per-game player in his 13 seasons with Calgary, there were some skeptics who thought the Blues were buying too high on Al MacInnis when they traded for him in 1994.

MacInnis had plenty more in the tank and became a franchise icon for the Blues, forming one of the best pairings in the NHL alongside Pronger.

7. Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy, Jeff Taffe, and a First-Round Pick for Keith Tkachuk

The Blues were back in the hunt in the 2000-2001 season and made a big splash at the deadline for Keith Tkachuk.

Then the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes, Tkachuk fit in with the Blues perfectly. He spent nine seasons in St. Louis, served as the team captain, and ranks sixth in franchise history with 208 goals.