John LeClair was a second-round draft pick in 1987 for the Montreal Canadiens, 33rd overall. He joined the Canadiens straight out of college and spent five seasons with the team. His tenure peaked in 1993 with a conquest of the Stanley Cup, scoring four goals and adding six assists in 20 playoff games that year.
On February 9, 1995, Canadiens general manager Serge Savard traded LeClair to the Philadelphia Flyers with Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne for Mark Recchi and Philadelphia’s third-round choice in the 1995 Entry Draft.
At the time, the trade was justified by the fact that the Canadiens were getting a 40-goal scorer in Recchi, something that the team had been looking for since being eliminated the previous season in the first round against the Boston Bruins.