February witnessed a number of minor trades plus two massive deals. The first, and of greatest concern to us, was the Los Angeles Kings reuniting Wayne Gretzky with another former Oiler superstar Paul Coffey. One of the most naturally-gifted skaters in the game, Coffey would now be patrolling the blueline for L.A., making them even more of a threat in our division. (In exchange for Coffey, the Kings sent Brian Benning, Jeff Chychrun and a 1992 1st round pick to Pittsburgh).
Without stopping to pause, on the exact same day, Pittsburgh flipped two of the assets they just acquired from L.A., in a seven player swap with state rival Philadelphia. The Flyers received Brian Benning, Mark Recchi and the Kings 1992 1st round pick, in exchange for Kjell Samuelsson, Rick Tocchet, Ken Wregget and a 1993 conditional 3rd rounder. (Rick Tocchet was the current Flyers captain, so this was a very big deal indeed).
Player in the Spotlight: Paul Coffey | AGE 30 | ABI/POT 4.5/4.5 |
2-time Norris winner (Best defenseman in NHL)