The Lindros alternative

Sporting News, The, Nov 13, 2000

What if Eric Lindros had been awarded to the Rangers instead of the Flyers? We explore that and three other alternative-reality possibilities

It's often said the NHL landscape would have been far different had Eric Lindros made other choices at the beginning of his pro career.

As an 18-year-old, Lindros held out after Quebec Chose him first overall in the 1991 draft, forcing perhaps the biggest deal in league history: The Flyers traded seven players, two first-round draft picks and $15 million to the Nordiques to obtain him.

The drama was fraught with interesting story lines. In fact, Lindros appeared to have been traded to the Flyers, but then the Rangers claimed they had also worked out a deal. An arbitrator was called in to settle the dispute and sided with the Flyers.

But what would the NHL look like if events had transpired differently? The league's balance of power might have changed significantly. Maybe Quebec wouldn't have moved or won a Stanley Cup in Colorado in 1995. Or maybe the championship comes earlier.

THE SPORTING NEWS explored the possibilities and presents four alternative scenarios to consider for the 1992-93 season, which in real life was Lindros' first.

We predict what would have happened if:

* The arbitrator had sent Lindros to the Rangers, not the Flyers.

* Lindros had reported to the Nordiques after being drafted.

* A rumored deal between Chicago and Quebec hadn't fallen through.

* The Flyers didn't have Lindros.

We also project what each team's lineup would look like in these scenarios.

It's all just one of the ways we can help you See a Different Game.

REALITY TIME LINE

6/22/91: Lindros selected first overall by Nordiques; refuses to report, holds out for entire season.

6/29/92: Lindros traded to Rangers and Flyers.

6/30/92: Arbitrator Bertuzzi rules for Flyers; Nordiques get Ron Hextall, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Peter Forsberg, Chris Simon, two draft picks (Jocelyn Thibault and Nolan Baumgartner) and $15 million.

10/6/92: Lindros' first game with Flyers.

11/13/92: Keenan fired by Blackhawks.

11/22/92: Lindros injures knee; out nine games.

1/3/93: Neilson fired by Rangers.

1/10/93: Lindros injures knee; out 12 games.

4/15/93: Season ends, Flyers miss playoffs; Dineen fired, Rangers miss playoffs.

4/25/93: Blackhawks swept in Norris semifinals by Blues.

4/28/93: Nordiques lose seven-game Adams semifinal series to Canadiens (three games reach OT).

6/9/93: Canadiens win Stanley Cup.

6/25/93: Lindros chosen for all-rookie team.

6/26/93: Quebec selects Thibault in first round of entry draft; Thibault part of Patrick Roy trade.

6/14/94: Rangers win Stanley Cup with Keenan as coach.

5/25/95: Nordiques sold, move to Denver and become Colorado Avalanche.

6/24/95: Devils win Stanley Cup.

6/10/96: Avalanche wins Stanley Cup.

The New York scenario

By Evan A. Denbaum

The date will forever be remembered as the beginning of a new a in the NHL. On June 30, 992, arbitrator Larry Bertuzzi ruled that Eric Lindros would play for the New York Rangers. Bertuzzi had been called in after the Rangers and Flyers claimed they both had worked out trades with the Nordiques for Lindros.

So just like that, right wingers Alexei Kovalev and Tony Amonte, center Doug Weight and goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck were Nordiques--forgotten in a New York minute.

Superman was going to Gotham.

From the opening night of the season, all eyes in the city were focused on Madison Square Garden. Perhaps as a result, by midseason coach Roger Neilson's job was in jeopardy because of his determination to keep Lindros at right wing, on a line with boyhood idol Mark Messier and left winger Adam Graves. But the line proved potent. Opponents couldn't cope with two big bodies in front, and Messier finished the season with 30 goals for the 10th time in his 14-year career.

But from the beginning, the heat was on Neilson to form three solid lines and avoid preplayoff burnout. No one seemed to fit on the left side with center Sergei Nemchinov and right winger Mike Gartner, so the team mined to trade talks.

With the trading deadline looming, G.M. Neil Smith sent top draft picks Peter and Chris Ferraro to Edmonton for feisty left winger Esa Tikkanen.

Then a freak accident put Smith's plans in jeopardy. Lindros slipped on a patch of ice while he and Messier were getting out of a taxi, smarting his head and suffering a concussion. (He and Messier had been inseparable off the ice since the trade.)

Smith originally thought he'd have to make another trade, but team doctors assured him Lindros' concussion was mild.

More good fortune came for Neilson: By the end of the season he had successfully gotten his team to buy into a more physical style of play, especially Kris King and Tie Domi, likely saving his job.

At the end of the season, the Rangers and Islanders finished tied for third in the Patrick Division, but the Islanders had more wins. The Rangers dropped to the fourth seed, just ahead of the Devils.

The first round pitted the Rangers against Scotty Bowman's defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins. The home team won each of the first six games, but the Rangers staged the upset of the playoffs on a rare Jeff Beukeboom winning goal in Game 7.