There’s obviously no shortage of reasons for a GM to be hesitant when it comes to trading away players, particularly when you’re talking about those well above the fringes of their lineups. And when the players involved are young, the risks are even higher. It’s one of the reasons why we so rarely see blockbuster trades (as much as we’d all love that).



I’ll give you Kessel and Letang for Doughty and Kopitar.



Make it Kessel and Malkin and you’ve got a deal.



SOLD! NO TAKE-BACKS.



You just don’t see a whole lot of that in the NHL.



Aside from the personal elements of uprooting families and pissing people off, GMs are really putting their reputation (read: career) at stake. Yet, while the outcome of said trade will shape their legacy, the outcome is largely out of their hands. It’s tough to predict how a player is going to take to a fresh start. And nobody wants to be the guy who trades a talented...