The Alex Stojanov for Markus Naslund deal in 1996 was one of the worst trades in NHL history, let alone the deadline - not that the Vancouver Canucks are complaining. The former Pittsburgh Penguin now Canucks captain, seen battling the Edmonton Oilers in this photo, has notched over 700 points with his current NHL club. (Jason Scott/Canadian Press)

With the Feb. 26 NHL trade deadline approaching, it's insightful and entertaining to review major trades of seasons past. Here's a look, by no means exclusive, at some notable deadline-day swaps of the last two decades involving Canadian teams.

1988

Boston trades forward Geoff Courtnall, goaltender Bill Ranford and future considerations to Edmonton for goaltender Andy Moog

Edmonton traded a goalie not then on their active roster — Moog was playing for the Canadian national team — for one who had fallen out of favour in Boston after a strong rookie season. Moog would spend five productive years as Boston's starter, including a trip to the 1990 Stanley Cup finals. But once there, he would be bested by Ranford, whose Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was the crowning achievement of eight years in Edmonton.

1990

Quebec trades centre Peter Stastny to New Jersey for defencemen Craig Wolanin and Randy Velischek

The on-ice results from this deal were modest in both directions but if there was ever an "end of an era" trade, this was it. Stastny had spent 10 years with the Nordiques, amassing more points during the 1980s than anyone but Wayne Gretzky. The Nordiques would reload for two more years of contention in the mid-90s before the franchise headed to Colorado.

1991

Forwards Geoff Courtnall, Sergio Momesso, Cliff Ronning and defenceman Robert Dirk traded to Vancouver from St. Louis for Dan Quinn and Garth Butcher

Quinn was gone by the following season in St. Louis, making defensive defenceman Butcher an unlikely focal point of a deal from the St. Louis perspective. The trio of forwards the Canucks obtained would all spend at least four seasons in Vancouver, each contributing offensively as the team finished just one game shy of the Stanley Cup in 1994.

Peter Stastny's playmaking abilities and classy nature made him a fan favourite with the Nordiques. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

1994

Centre Craig Janney traded from Vancouver to St. Louis for defencemen Jeff Brown and Bret Hedican and forward Nathan Lafayette

A deadline deal in name, but a continuation after Janney refused to report to Vancouver at the beginning of the season when an arbitrator ruled he and a draft pick go to the Canucks for compensation for restricted free agent Petr Nedved. The Canucks picked up another three key contributors for their '94 Cup run, with Hedican providing longer-term benefits.

Mike Gartner traded from New York Rangers to Toronto for Glenn Anderson, the rights to Scott Malone and a fourth-round draft pick

A trade hard to stomach for fans of good guy Gartner, who never won a Stanley Cup. He would miss the playoffs entirely as a member of the Leafs and watch as New York won the franchise's first Stanley Cup in more than 50 years. Anderson would win his sixth Cup as a member of the Rangers, but with just six points in 23 playoff games, and his Edmonton dynasty experience aside, it still seems hard to make the case that New York was that much better off. The other parts of the deal were of little consequence in the long run.

1996

Vancouver trades right-winger Alex Stojanov to Pittsburgh for right-winger Markus Naslund

One of the worst trades in NHL history, let alone the deadline. The tough Stojanov would play just 45 games for Pittsburgh before settling into a minor pro career. Naslund has notched over 700 points with the Canucks and is closing in on 350 goals.

1997

Right-winger Miroslav Satan traded from Edmonton to Buffalo for forward Barrie Moore and defenceman Craig Millar

After two so-so seasons in Edmonton, Satan would be shipped out, going on to score 224 goals in just over seven seasons with the Sabres. Moore and Millar played a combined 40 games with the Oilers.

Defenceman Larry Murphy traded from Toronto to Detroit for future considerations

Murphy, who had played on Stanley Cup winners with Pittsburgh, racked up 100 points in 151 games for Toronto, but that wasn't good enough for many of the faithful at Maple Leaf Gardens, who booed him consistently for his defensive lapses. Detroit was all too happy to pick up a first-rate veteran essentially for nothing, with Murphy a key contributor in back-to-back Cup wins for Detroit.

1998

Toronto trades defenceman Jamie Macoun to Detroit for a fourth-round pick

Toronto did veteran Jamie Macoun a favour, sending the defenceman to rejoin Murphy in Detroit, where he would play 22 games for the Cup winners. While the Leafs essentially got nothing for Murphy, they were able use the fourth-round pick obtained for Macoun to select Alexei Ponikarovsky.

1999

Defenceman Jason Smith traded from Toronto to Edmonton for second- and fourth-round picks

Keeping up the trend of jettisoning blueliners, Toronto traded Jason Smith for a pair of picks ultimately used for Jonathan Zion and Kris Vernarsky, neither of whom played a game for the Maple Leafs. Smith was a force in Edmonton's end for over seven seasons, and was captain when the team went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2006.

2000

New Jersey trades centres Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson to Vancouver for right-winger Alexander Mogilny

A deal that paid dividends for both clubs. Of the 135 games Mogilny would play in New Jersey, 48 would be playoff contests, including a Cup win in 2000. Morrison has marked some big goals in nearly eight years with the Canucks.

Ottawa trades goaltender Ron Tugnutt and defenceman Janne Laukkanen to Pittsburgh for goaltender Tom Barrasso

Ottawa's drafting in the last decade has been excellent and a coup was pulled off with a summertime trade of Alexei Yashin, but deadline day deals have produced little for the Senators over the years. Perhaps the boldest move was in 2000, when they took a chance on aging veteran and former Stanley Cup goaltender Barrasso, who had played just 16 games for Pittsburgh that season. Barrasso wasn't bad but Ottawa lost in six games to Toronto in the opening round, a harbinger of things to come for several seasons.

2001

Montreal trades forwards Trevor Linden and Dainuis Zubrus and a previously acquired draft pick to Washington for Richard Zednik, Jan Bulis and a first-round pick

As far as the established players, Montreal came out nominally ahead as Linden played under 30 games in Washington. While the Canadiens used their own 2001 draft pick on solid defenceman Mike Komisarek, the Washington pick they acquired was used for Alexander Perezhogin, who was involved in an ugly stick incident in the American Hockey League and played two seasons with Montreal before returning to Russia this season.

Former Oiler Ryan Smyth waves goodbye to his fans at the Edmonton International Airport prior to departing for New York and his new team, the Islanders, on Feb. 28, 2007. Smyth spent his first 11 seasons in the NHL with the Oilers. (John Ulan/Canadian Press)

2003

Calgary trades centre Rob Niedermayer to Anaheim for defenceman Mike Commodore and goaltender Jean-Francois Damphousse

Damphousse never panned out, while Commodore was a serviceable and colourful part of Calgary's drive to the Stanley Cup final in 2004. Shutdown centre Niedermayer is in his fifth season as an Anaheim stalwart.

2006

Edmonton trades centre Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny and a second-round pick for left-winger Sergei Samsonov of Boston

Soon after acquiring goaltender Dwayne Roloson from Minnesota, the Oilers picked up impending free agent Samsonov, who was a useful contributor as Edmonton reached the 2006 finals, with 15 points in 24 playoff games. Samsonov opted not to re-sign with the Oilers that summer and his career has struggled since. The Bruins didn't get much yield from Reasoner and Stastny but the pick was used for current rookie Milan Lucic, who appears to be a player.

2007

Edmonton trades left-winger Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders for forwards Ryan O'Marra, Robert Nilsson and a first-round pick

A heartbreaking trade for the Oilers faithful, as Smyth departed after more than 11 seasons in Edmonton. The Islanders weren't able to capitalize much on acquiring him, and the jury will be out for a time for Edmonton's haul of young players, with the pick used to select Western Hockey League defenceman Alex Plante.