WHAT IF: THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS SELECTS ERIC LINDROS 1ST OVERALL IN 1991?
Backstory: the leafs made one of the most terrible trades in their existence when they acquired tom kurvers of the new jersey devils for their 1991 1st round pick. They Were bottom of the league during the 1990-1991 season, but realised that the pick they traded to the devils could be the lindros pick, and so, they hurriedly acquired whatever remaining good players the other worst team in the league, the quenec nordiques, had in order for the devils to have the third overall pick instead (cause the expansion san jose sharks would automatically select 2nd overall.). The devils would end up selecting Scott niedermayer with the third overall pick that year.
So yeah, What if the leafs didn't trade for tom kurvers, tanked the 1990 1991 season and selected Eric Lindros 1st overall, while Scott Niedermayer goes to Quebec with the third overall pick?
with Both Lindros and Doug Gilmour as their top line centers, does the leafs win the stanley cup in 92-93 and 93-94? With Niedermayer alongside Adam foote on the top pairing, and with mats sundin assumably staying in quebec/colorado due to no peter forsberg, does the avs still trade for Osolinsh in 95 or Raymond Bourque in 2000? Do they instead trade Owen Nolan and Stéphane Fiset for Patrick Roy, as was agreed on the original Roy deal before Serge Savard was fired?
and the philadelphia flyers: Without Lindros, but keeping the depth that they sacrificed to get him (duchesne, hextall, Ricci, Simon, huffman and the 1993 first rounder), keeping dmitri yushkevich around, PLUS peter forsberg as their franchise center (with rod brind'amour and ricci as their other 2 centers, forming one of the best center depth in the NHL), do the flyers get over the hump in the 90s and 2000s? Do they still trade mark recchi for john leclair and eric desjardins? Who would they pick with the 1993 10th overall pick?