During the NHL Draft on June 13, 1987, a trade was completed between the Washington Capitals and the Quebec Nordiques. The Capitals received forward Dale Hunter and goalie Clint Malarchuk for Alan Haworth, Gaetan Duchesne, and a first-round pick in that draft, which became the 15th overall selection, and Quebec used it to pick center Joe Sakic of the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
That trade is arguably the most important in franchise history for the Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche. But what if it never happened and the Capitals had drafted Sakic with that 15th overall pick?
Sakic Joining a Loaded Lineup
In this hypothetical situation, let’s assume Sakic would have joined the Capitals the same season he debuted for the Nordiques, which was 1988-89. That season, the Capitals had an offense that included Mike Ridley, Geoff Courtnall, Bengt-Ake Gustafsson, Dave Christian, and Kelly Miller. On the blue line, they had Kevin Hatcher, Rod Langway, and Scott Stevens.
In his first season in Quebec, Sakic scored 23 goals and 62 points in 70 games, meaning, with those same markers, he would have finished sixth in Capitals scoring (which is where Hunter was ranked). Ridley (89 points), Courtnall (80), Gustafsson (69), Stevens (68), and Christian (65), all would have finished with more points than Sakic’s 62. But with the talent around him in Washington, it’s possible he would have exceeded those totals in his rookie campaign.
In Sakic’s best statistical season of his career in 1995-96, he would have led the Capitals with 120 points (51 goals and 69 assists). The biggest point producer for Washington that season was Michal Pivonka, who had 81 points (16 goals and 65 assists). A few of the other top scorers on the team were Peter Bondra (80 points), Joe Juneau (64 points), Steve Konowalchuk (45 points), and Keith Jones (41 points).
One of the offensive juggernauts in D.C. during this era was Bondra, but maybe he would not have earned as much attention if Sakic had been the face of the offense. There is the possibility that Bondra and Sakic would have played on the same line, and Bondra could have finished with more than 80 points.
Revisiting the 1998 Stanley Cup Final
Assuming that Sakic was on the Capitals during their 1998 playoff run, he had 63 points in 64 games during the regular season, which would have ranked third on the team, with only Bondra (78) and Adam Oates (76) having more. If Washington had made it to the 1998 Cup Final with Sakic, he would have been one more weapon the Detroit Red Wings would have had to deal with.
The Red Wings may have still won that Cup because of how loaded their roster was, but Sakic might have been a huge difference-maker in the series.
Related: Avalanche vs. Red Wings: Reliving the Great Rivalry
During his NHL career, Sakic posted the following stats in the playoffs:
- 1992-93 (Nordiques): three goals and three assists for six points in six games
- 1994-95 (Nordiques): four goals and one assist for five points in six games
- 1995-96 (Avalanche): 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points in 22 games
- 1996-97 (Avalanche): eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 17 games
- 1997-98 (Avalanche): two goals and three assists for five points in six games
- 1998-99 (Avalanche): six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 19 games
- 1999-00 (Avalanche): two goals and seven assists for nine points in 17 games
- 2000-01 (Avalanche): 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 21 games
- 2001-02 (Avalanche): nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 21 games
- 2002-03 (Avalanche): six goals and three assists for nine points in seven games
- 2003-04 (Avalanche): seven goals and five assists for 12 points in 11 games
- 2005-06 (Avalanche): four goals and five assists for nine points in nine games
- 2007-08 (Avalanche): two goals and eight assists for 10 points in 10 games
During his time in the league, Sakic was great during the regular season, but he was a force in the playoffs. When the lights were brightest, he made a pivotal impact. He was a big reason why Colorado won their first two Cups in 1996 and 2001. He would have been much-needed offensive help for Washington in that 1998 Cup Final if he had been a Capital.
The Capitals Might Have Looked Very Different Today
Sakic spent his entire career with the Nordiques and Avalanche. He did not retire until the 2008-09 NHL campaign. If he had spent his entire career in Washington instead, would Alex Ovechkin have been drafted by another team? Would the Capitals still have drafted Nicklas Backstrom or would he have played elsewhere?
As great as it would have been to have Sakic in the Capitals lineup, it’s very possible he would have canceled out the Ovechkin Era. There might have been no Stanley Cup championship in 2018, and Ovechkin might be gunning for Wayne Gretzky’s goal record with another franchise.
The version that Washington fans would probably have had instead of Ovechkin-Backstrom would have been Sakic and Jaromir Jagr. The Capitals acquired Jagr and Frantisek Kucera from the Pittsburgh Penguins before the 2001-02 campaign for Kris Beech, Ross Lupaschuk, Michal Siv and future considerations.
Jagr was only in D.C. for parts of three seasons and put up the following numbers:
- 2001-02: 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points in 69 games
- 2002-03: 36 goals and 41 assists for 77 points in 75 games
- 2003-04: 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points in 46 games
If Sakic had been on the Capitals around this time, Jagr might not have been moved to the New York Rangers. Washington may have been in a position where they did not have to rebuild and sell off players like they did with Jagr as well as Bondra, Robert Lang, Sergei Gonchar, Mike Grier, and Konowalchuk. In the early 2000s, Sakic was scoring as much as he ever did. While Jagr was with the Capitals, Sakic put up the following numbers in Denver:
- 2001-02: 26 goals and 53 assists for 79 points in 82 games
- 2002-03: 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points in 58 games
- 2003-04: 33 goals and 54 assists for 87 points in 81 games
This was after Sakic produced his second-best statistical campaign in 2000-01 with 118 points in 82 games (54 goals and 64 assists).
The Capitals organization might look completely different today if Sakic had been drafted by Washington in 1987. If he had stayed in Washington until he retired, management would likely have tried to remain competitive. Maybe they would have been starting a rebuild before the 2009-10 season and would have drafted Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin at the top of the 2010 Draft.
Hindsight Is Always 20/20
At the end of the day, as cool as it is to think of the possibilities of how Sakic would have done on the Capitals, everything worked out for the best. The organization has a Stanley Cup banner hanging in the rafters. They have had a lot of special players don their sweater over their 50-year history. It is easy to look back in time with every team and point out decisions they should have made differently. Those types of situations will always happen in sports.
All that being said, the course of the Capitals would have changed tremendously had they drafted Sakic in 1987. It goes to show how one trade can change the landscape of a franchise or two.
