We may never see the likes of it again.

The July 21, 1992 trade that sent Eric Lindros from the Quebec Nordiques to the Philadelphia Flyers had enough plot twists and intrigue to make it a bestselling whodunit.

Right from the get-go, this reeked of controversy as both the Flyers and New York Rangers argued they had made valid deals for the big center, a junior phenom who brought a dizzying array of size, strength and talent to the table. Lindros didn't want to play for the Nordiques and had said so early and often. Drafted by that team in the first round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, he and the franchise played a waiting game until the trade -- or trades -- were announced almost a year later. It took an NHL arbitrator several days to sort all of this out before ruling the Flyers had made the deal that counted.

And in the interim, enough trees have been sacrificed to chronicle Lindros' controversial tenure in Philadelphia to fill a small forest. But often overlooked is the package of players and draft picks that went north to the Nordiques.

The players received from Philadelphia formed a prodigious group that has either become a core part of the franchise success after it moved to Colorado to become the Avalanche or were spun off to bring in players who have helped the Avs become a top team for years.

Here's what the Nordiques acquired for Lindros.

Centers Peter Forsberg and Mike Ricci, defensemen Steve Duchesne and Kerry Huffman, goalie Ron Hextall, a 1993 first-round draft pick that became goalie Jocelyn Thibault, future considerations that became winger Chris Simon and a 1994 first rounder, plus $15,000,000 in cash.

And here's a look at what became of this group.

At the time of the deal, few had any notion the Peter Forsberg would turn out to be the world-class player he has become, eventually making the deal even more stunning then it was at its completion.

Forsberg, of course, went on to become arguably the best player in the world. He has been a part of Colorado's two Stanley Cup teams and is regarded as one of the most skilled and tenacious players in the NHL. About the only thing that has held Forsberg back has been injuries. He has missed more than 100 games to injury through the years, skipping the entire 2001-02 regular season to recover from the loss of his spleen and ankle woes.

Forsberg still has averaged more than a point-per-game in his career -- both in the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs -- and is a winner, plain and simple. There are few who compete as tenaciously as Forsberg and you could make the argument that an even-up swap of Lindros for Forsberg back in 1991 would have sparked years of debate over the merits of both players. But at the time of the deal, Forsberg was an unknown quantity in North America and former Flyers GM Russ Farwell was raked over the coals for using the team's top pick in the 1991 Entry Draft on an untested European player.

Ricci was selected fourth overall by the Flyers in the 1990 Entry Draft and was viewed by many as the franchise's next Bobby Clarke. Ricci was considered a strong leader during his junior days and has done nothing to diminish that view during a distinguished NHL career.

Ricci had his two best offensive seasons with the Nords, scoring 27 goals in 1992-93 and 30 goals in 1993-94. Following the team's move to Colorado for the 1995-96 season, Ricci became more of a defensive-minded center.

Mike Ricci had his two best offensive seasons after arriving from Philadelphia and won a Stanley Cup before being moved to San Jose for Shean Donovan and a draft pick that became Alex Tanguay.

On Nov. 20, 1998, the Avalanche sent Ricci to San Jose with a '98 second-round pick in exchange for winger Shean Donovan and the 1998 first-round pick that became current Avalanche standout Alex Tanguay.

Duchesne and Huffman, both journeyman, each had short tenures on the Quebec backline before moving on. Duchesne was traded to the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 23, 1994, along with Denis Chasse, in exchange for forwards Ron Sutter and Bob Bassen and defenseman Garth Butcher.

Bassen left as a free agent in the summer of 1995. Sutter was traded to the Islanders, along with a 1994 first-round pick -- ironically Eric's younger brother Brett -- in exchange for defenseman Uwe Krupp, who scored the Avs' Cup-winning goal in 1996, and a first-round pick that became Wade Belak.

Butcher played in Quebec for the remainder of the season and was part of another blockbuster, going to Toronto with Mats Sundin, Todd Warriner and the 1994 first-round selection acquired from the Flyers, for winger Wendel Clark, defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre, winger Landon Wilson and the Leafs' top pick in '94, which became prospect Jeff Kealty.

Huffman's exit from Quebec wasn't as dramatic. He was claimed off waivers by the Ottawa Senators. He finished his NHL career in 1995-96 with the Flyers.

The Flyers had drafted Simon 25th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, rightly figuring the 6-foot-4, 235-pound winger would become an intimidating presence.

Simon spent parts of three seasons with Quebec and came into his own when the franchise moved to Colorado. There he scored 16 goals and 18 assists in 64 games as the Avalanche won the Cup. After that season, Simon and defensemen Curtis Leschyshyn were swapped to the Washington Capitals for forward Keith Jones and two draft picks. Scott Parker, one of the picks, played on Colorado's 2001 Stanley Cup championship team, while Jones was later traded to Philadelphia for Shjon Podein, another member of the 2001 champs.

Although a youngster at the time of the trade, Thibault showed enough promise to allow GM Pierre Lacroix to use him as the linchpin of a deal that landed Patrick Roy, who won two stanley Cups with the team in Colorado.

Both goalies acquired by the Nordiques in the trade went on to pay big dividends. Hextall went 29-16-5 in his one season in Quebec and was then traded to the Islanders with a 1993 first-rounder (Todd Bertuzzi) in exchange for goalie Mark Fitzpatrick and the Islanders' '93 first rounder that became Adam Deadmarsh.

Deadmarsh scored 21 goals and 27 assists in the regular season and five more goals and 12 assists in the postseason as the Avalanche won the 1996 Stanley Cup. He also was the linchpin in the 2001 trade between the Avalanche and Kings that brought defenseman Rob Blake to the Avs.

Thibault displayed excellent promise in 1994-95, posting a 12-2-2 record in 18 games for the Avalanche, his second NHL season. Thibault's potential intrigued the Montreal Canadiens, who acquired him in the Dec. 6, 1995 trade that brought Patrick Roy to Colorado. Roy, of course, backstopped the Avalanche to two Stanley Cups.

Dealing Lindros, a singular talent, was a huge risk for the Nordiques, despite Lindros' off-stated demand that he wouldn't play for the team. There's no question the Nordiques acquired quantity and quality in the deal and as a result, and the franchise's subsequent move to Colorado, the Avalanche emerged as one of the NHL's elite teams.