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Trade Tree: Tracking Trevor Linden’s movement that saw him leave Canucks only to return years later

Photo credit: © Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY NETWORK

By Jeff Paterson

Aug 25, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 24, 2026, 23:36 EDT

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Nearly two decades after his retirement, Trevor Linden remains one of the most prominent players to ever suit up for the Vancouver Canucks. He’s also one of the few players who was both traded by and traded for by the hockey club. This is an examination of the Trevor Linden trade tree that sprouted branches across the National Hockey League.

Linden was selected second overall by the Canucks in the 1988 NHL draft, played parts of 10 seasons in Vancouver, became team captain, led the club to a Stanley Cup Final, and was then dealt to the New York Islanders for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe, and a third-round draft pick that became Jarkko Ruutu. While many were sad to see the popular Linden leave in February 1998, it’s impossible to argue with the return Mike Keenan got in the deal that paved the way for the next era of Canucks hockey.

After a year and a half on Long Island, Linden was pedalled to the Montreal Canadiens in May of 1999. The Habs paid a significant price for the veteran centreman, giving up the 10th overall pick in that year’s draft, which turned out to be defenceman Branislav Mezei. Fun fact: at the age of 45, Mezei won a Slovak league title with his hometown team, Mitra MHC, this spring. It was his second title in the past two seasons.

After two seasons in Montreal, Linden was dealt at the 2001 trade deadline to the Washington Capitals along with veteran forward Dainius Zubrus and a second-round pick in exchange for future Canuck Jan Bulis, Richard Zednik and a first-round selection. The Capitals moved the second-round pick to Tampa Bay, who used it to select defenceman Andreas Holmqvist, while the Habs used the first-round pick in the deal to nab Alexander Perezhogin with the 25th choice in the 2001 draft. Perezhogin spent just two seasons in the NHL before bolting to the KHL, where he played out his career, spending several seasons with Omsk Avangard before retiring in 2019.

Linden played parts of two seasons in Washington, but logged just 28 games total for the Capitals before Brian Burke brought him back to Vancouver on November 10, 2001. The Canucks acquired Linden and a second-round pick they used to take the forgettable Denis Grot in the 2002 draft in exchange for a first-rounder the Caps used on Boyd Gordon with the 17th overall selection in the 2002 draft and a third-rounder the following year that was shipped to Edmonton as part of a package to land Mike Grier. That third round pick turned out to be Zack Stortini.

Another fun fact: Denis Grot was taken one pick after Chicago landed Duncan Keith in the second round in 2002. Grot did not play an NHL game. All Keith did was win three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals, a pair of Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe, and land in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025.

Trevor Linden played the final six seasons of his NHL career back where it started. He appeared in the playoffs with the Canucks in 2002, 2003, 2004 and again in 2007 before retiring in 2008. Next spring will mark 19 years since Linden suited up in an NHL game. His number 16 is one of six jerseys that hang in the rafters at Rogers Arena.