There’s been a longstanding rumor that when Mike Comrie was almost traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Corey Perry in 2003, Edmonton got petty and tried to stick it to Comrie. A mess of a situation between the Oilers and Comrie’s camp: contract disputes, holdouts, and an attempt at what would have been a franchise-altering deal for the Edmonton Oilers.
But apparently, they got in their own way.
By the 2002-03 season, he posted 20 goals and 51 points in 69 games, but extension negotiations weren’t going well. Comrie rejected Edmonton’s qualifying offer of $1.13 million (a 10% raise per the CBA), leading to a holdout. He skipped training camp and requested a trade, creating a standoff with Oilers GM Kevin Lowe.
By early December 2003, Lowe had reportedly agreed upon a deal in principle with the Ducks. In return, the Oilers would have gotten forward prospect Corey Perry (Anaheim’s 28th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft) and a 2004 first-round pick.
It was a winning trade for the Oilers. Well, almost.
The Oilers Got Greedy
The deal collapsed because Kevin Lowe demanded that Comrie reimburse the Oilers $2.5 million, a portion of the signing bonus from Comrie’s entry-level contract. Suggesting the Oilers overpaid Comrie early in his career, they wanted some of their investment back if he was leaving. Comrie refused, which was in his right and, frankly, what anyone else would have done. The trade collapsed.
Lowe later said the Oilers needed the financial concession, and Perry himself was aware of the near trade. He said during an interview, much later in his career, “I was almost in Edmonton. I remember that I was traded to Edmonton, but then the whole Mike Comrie thing, Kevin Lowe thing went down.”
Ultimately, the Oilers traded Comrie anyway. Only, they sent him to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2005 third-round pick (used to select Danny Syvret at 81st overall), defenseman Jeff Woywitka, and a 2004 first-round pick (used by Edmonton to select Rob Schremp at 25th overall). Needless to say, it did not turn out as well for the Oilers as the trade with the Ducks would have.
Perry won the Stanley Cup in 2007, the Hart Trophy (MVP) in 2011, and scored over 400 career goals. He did make a run with the Oilers for a couple of seasons, but Comrie fizzled out of the NHL, never to become the player many had him pegged to be. He had a 30-goal season with the Arizona Coyotes and played for several years. But, those 60 points were the highest of his career and he moved around the NHL before eventually leaving in 2011.
Comie did confirm in a recent interview that the trade to Anaheim was a done deal and they told him they wanted his signing bonus back. He talked about is as though it was one of the low points of his NHL career.
Next: Impressive Olympics Boosts Stock of Potential Oilers Trade Target
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