5 biggest trade flops in Edmonton Oilers history ft. Griffin Reinhart

Every NHL franchise, including the Edmonton Oilers, has made good and not so good trades in history. But the poor ones are always brought out every year around the NHL trade deadline.

The Oilers have been in the NHL since 1979, so they have played hundreds of trades, and there are bound to be some poor ones. So, let's take a look at five of the biggest trade flops in Oilers history.

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Five biggest trade flops in Edmonton Oilers history

#1 Griffin Reinhart

At the 2015 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Griffin Reinhart from the New York Islanders for the 16th and 33rd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

Reinhart was selected fourth overall in the 2012 Draft by the Islanders and was still considered a highly touted prospect. His struggles, though, continued, as he played just 29 games with the Oilers, spending most of his time in the AHL.

The defensemen was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, so Edmonton lost him for nothing. To exacerbate matters, New York selected Mathew Barzal, while the Islanders traded the 33rd overall selection.

#2 Adam Larsson

Adam Larsson was acquired in 2016

The Edmonton Oilers looked for a change in culture, as they traded Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson in the summer of 2016.

It was a shocking trade, as Hall was selected first overall by the Oilers and was one of the franchise cornerstones. Larsson, meanwhile, was selected fourth overall by the Devils and was expected to fill a role on Edmonton's defense.

Larsson played five years with the Oilers and left for nothing, as he was selected in the expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken. Hall, meanwhile, spent four years in New Jersey and also won the league MVP with the Devils. In reality, Edmonton could have gotten a lot more for Hall than they did.

#3 Ryan Smyth trade

Ryan Smyth was the face of the franchise for the Edmonton Oilers and had no desire to leave the team. However, at the 2007 NHL Trade Deadline, Edmonton decided to trade Smyth who was highly sought after, due to the forward and Oilers not agreeing a new contract.

Edmonton ended up acquiring Ryan O’Marra, Robert Nilsson and a first-round pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. Nilsson never panned out as the top prospect he was supposed to be, while O'Marra played just 31 games with Edmonton.

The Oilers used the first-round pick on Alex Plante, who played just 10 games.

#4 Ryan Strome

Edmonton acquired Strome in 2017.

The Edmonton Oilers need another culture change like the Taylor Hall deal and traded Jordan Eberle to the New York Islanders for Ryan Strome.

Eberle was coming off a 51-point season but was not the top offensive player the Oilers were hoping for. However, Edmonton didn't get a good return for Eberle, as Strome played just over a year with the Oilers. Just 18 games into his second season, he was dealt to the New York Rangers.

To make the trade worse, Edmonton dealt Strome for Ryan Spooner who only skated in 25 games with the Oilers.

#5 Dealing Paul Coffey

In 1987, the Edmonton Oilers traded future Hall of Fame, Paul Coffey, Dave Hunter and Wayne Van Dorp to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Craig Simpson, Dave Hannan, Chris Joseph and Moe Mantha.

Edmonton was in a contract dispute with Coffey, so they opted to deal him to Pittsburgh but didn't get much of a return. Simpson had three seasons of 30 goals, but Hannan and Mantha were in Edmonton for a year only, while Joseph was primarily an AHL player.