Vancouver Canucks: Where is Alexander Mogilny now?

In the third instalment of our series, we look back at one of the few shining lights of those years between the 1994 Stanley Cup Final and the West Coast Express years, Alexander Mogilny. A dynamic scorer who would undoubtedly be lethal in today’s NHL, we take a look back at his time with the Canucks and look at where the one-time Canucks leading scorer is now.

The Vancouver Canucks were a season removed from the painful Game 7 loss to the New York Rangers in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final when they pulled the trigger on what was in theory one of the best trades in franchise history at the time, acquiring star forward Alexander Mogilny from the Buffalo Sabres.

Then-General Manager Pat Quinn sent a package of Mike Peca, Mike Wilson and a first round draft pick (Jay McKee) to the Sabres to acquire the talents of Mogilny, who was a consistent point-per-game forward with the Sabres and who had scored 76 goals in the 1992/93 season. Only three players – Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Hull – have ever scored more than that in a single season. He was a pure scorer, as was Pavel Bure, and the league at the time was dominated by such players.

Quinn acquired Mogilny with the sole intention of winning the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. The team had just been swept in round 2 of the 1995 playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks, and he gave up three important pieces (think Adam Gaudette, Olli Juolevi and our 2019 first) to acquire one of the league’s best talents. The intention was to pair Mogilny with Pavel Bure to form a dominant scoring line, as the two had played together at CSKA Moscow and had a well-established chemistry that would have Canucks fans salivating.

So, how did Alexander Mogilny do during his time with the team? Was this the trade to send the Canucks over the edge?