Kyle Turris and NHL Public Trade Demands That Captured the Media

Last week, Kyle Turris' agent, Kurt Overhardt publicly confirmed the speculation that Kyle Turris had asked to be traded.  Whether or not the center will get what he desires is still yet to be seen (keep in mind the GM, Don Maloney, seems adamant on keeping Turris on the team.) 

While somewhat rare, public trade demands aren't entirely uncommon in the NHL.  In fact, there have been a handful of quite memorable ones in recent years.  

Patrick Roy

Even if you weren't a hockey fan in 1995, I'm sure you heard about the famous Patrick Roy incident with Montreal Canadiens' head coach Mario Tremblay.  

On December 2, 1995, Patrick Roy allowed nine goals on 26 shots.  It was an embarrassing day, not only for Roy himself, but for the team and the fans of Montreal.  Throughout the game, Roy made many gestures symbolizing that he wanted to get the yank.  

Tremblay kept him in net, however, which proved to be the decision that sent one of the best goaltenders in the history of the NHL packing.  When he was finally pulled after the ninth goal, Roy leaned over to the Montreal Canadiens president and said he would never play for Montreal again.  

Roy asked for a trade the same day, and his wish was granted four days later when he and Mike Keane were traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Jocelyn Thibault, Martin Rucinsky and Andrei Kovalenko.  

Chris Pronger

More recently, and possibly even more memorable, is the trade demand Chris Pronger made.  On June 23, 2006, Pronger requested that his time with the Oilers come to an end.  Ten days later, Pronger was sent to Anaheim in return for Joffrey Lupul, Ladislav Smid and two first-round draft picks.  

While the reason for the trade request was eventually made public (and was in fact due to personal problems and not the city or team), Pronger still hears the boos poor down upon him when he sets foot in Rexall. 

Dany Heatley

Another public enemy in Edmonton (more so in Ottawa) in recent years is Dany Heatley.  Heatley, who at the time was an Ottawa Senator, demanded a trade after the 2008-09 NHL season.  

There were reports that a deal with Edmonton was ready to go before the winger refused to waive his no-trade clause due to the destination of the deal.  In early September, Dany Heatley was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo (which, thanks to Michalek, is just starting to pay off for Ottawa this season).  

Sheldon Souray

Apart from the current Turris situation, the most recent public trade demand was with Sheldon Souray in 2010.  Unlike the others, it didn't work out too well for Souray, as he was buried in the minors for the duration of last season before signing with the Dallas Stars in the offseason.  

So What Could This Mean for Kyle Turris?

All of the players mentioned in this article have significantly damaged reputations due to the way they went about their trade requests.  No general manager wants to sign a player who has a history of publicly demanding out when things aren't going well.  Another thing they all have in common, apart from Kyle Turris, is proven talent.    

Patrick Roy, Chris Pronger and Dany Heatley were all skilled enough to spark interest with other teams despite their attitudes and lack of loyalty to their respective clubs. 

Kyle Turris, on the other hand, has a tremendous amount of potential, but has yet to show that he can cash in on it.  In going public with the requests he has made with the Phoenix Coyotes, Turris risks having damaged his reputation in the eyes of general managers and coaches around the league, and has yet to prove himself worthy of taking the risk. 

It may prove to be in the best interest of Don Maloney to accept a trade with one of the teams that still has interest before both the Coyotes and Kyle Turris become losers from the situation.