Kris Draper Was Traded To Detroit Red Wings For Just $1

Published on May 5th, 2023 1:13 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Kris Draper was known as the One Dollar Man due to a famous contract he signed. On June 30th, 1993, the Winnipeg Jets and Detroit Red Wings completed a fairly innocuous trade, as Kris Draper was sent to the Red Wings in exchange for $1.

That's right - $1 cash.

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Draper had been drafted #62 overall by the original Winnipeg Jets in the 1989 NHL Draft.

Following the draft, Draper played a season in the OHL before joining the Moncton Hawks, which was the Jets' AHL team.

Draper was called up to the big team a total of three times during his time with the Jets organization, though he never stuck.

In the end, Draper would play just 20 games with the Jets.

After being traded to the Red Wings organization, Draper joined the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL, where he scored 20 goals in just 46 games.

Draper would be called up to the Red Wings, and the rest is history.

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Draper would play a total of 1,157 games in the NHL, where he would score 161 goals and 203 assists.

Draper was known for his grinding style of play, and formed the "Grind Line" with the likes of Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby and Joe Kocur.

The "Grind Line" helped the Red Wings to win three Stanley Cups in six seasons, as they helped to wear down the opposing team to open things up for the Red Wings skilled players.

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Draper, who would win a Frank J. Selke Trophy during his career, enjoyed a long career with the Red Wings.

The Draper trade will go down as one of the best Return on Investments in the history of the NHL.

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