When the New York Rangers traded Michael Grabner to the New Jersey Devils for a pick and a prospect in February, it was the first trade between the Hudson River rivals since the Colorado Rockies’ relocation to New Jersey in 1982.
That deal highlights just how rare it is to trade within your division in the NHL. Still, this didn’t stop the Toronto Maple Leafs from shipping newly drafted Tuukka Rask to the Boston Bruins for two terrible years of Andrew Raycroft in 2005.