(Ed. Note: Headline pun shamelessly borrowed from Pop Stat, because you're not getting any better than that.)

Did you know the Capitals and the Devils nearly merged franchises back in 1982? It's one of those great "What If" moments in NHL history. Imagine if Jersey could have added Scott Stevens years before Brendan Shanahan(notes) was a twinkle in the St. Louis Blues' eyes.

These types of deals were discussed back when the NHL was less solvent and the media was less encompassing. Former Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, in his new book, sheds light on what he claims would have been a history-altering deal involving two franchises.

Literally involving two franchises. Pocklington reveals that former Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard wanted to swap teams with Edmonton, netting him $50 million in the process. From the Canadian Press:

The scheme called for the entire team to move to Toronto to play in Maple Leaf Gardens while the Leafs, in turn, would have found a home in Edmonton's new arena, which at that time was called the Coliseum.

According to Pocklington, Ballard was in financial straights when he made the proposal in 1981. However, a short time later Ballard backed out of the deal. "He just said he needed $50 million and I guess I was one of the ways to resolve and solve the problem," said Pocklington. "Within a week or two he called back and said I solved my $50-million problem and we'll continue the way we were."

When asked if raising the large sum to make the deal possible was an option for Pocklington at the time, the former NHL owner tersely responded: "It certainly was."

"I thought he was kidding at first, but he was serious," he recalls. "He said he loved to do the deal and it sounded like a heck of a deal to me. ... Economically, it was a tremendous deal for me looking backwards."

Some are calling B.S. on this boast, but others are wondering how this transaction would have reshaped NHL legend -- especially in Toronto.

Pocklington gets the benefit of the doubt because, barring a séance, Ballard's not around to comment. But Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star offers some contrarian feedback on the Oilers-for-Leafs trade:

"Sometimes (Ballard would) say things to guys just to blow them off," said Gord Stellick, now a host of the Fan 590 but then working in Ballard's front office. "I travelled with Ballard, and he talked about everything. (An Oilers swap) was never discussed at any level."

And, he said, there was no way Ballard would have left the limelight. "He loved Toronto, understood the Maple Leafs. If he was in Edmonton, he wouldn't get the same headlines and national play ... which was beyond money."

Jim Gregory was hired as the Leafs' GM in 1969 and held the position for about a decade. He said it's hard to imagine such a proposal being discussed.

"Anything's possible," Gregory said with a laugh. "But I certainly never heard anything about it."

Hockey historian Joe Pelletier isn't buying what Pocklington's selling:

I'm skeptical. It's coming out of left field, where the only other person who is alleged to know, Harold Ballard, died a long time ago. If there really was anything to this, I'm sure a whole lot of people would have been involved from NHL and legal perspectives.

Is this is just another greatly exaggerated fabrication from Mr. Pocklington, designed to grab some headlines at the release of his new book? Don't believe everything you read folks.

OK, but for gigs and shiggles, let's say this deal actually went down. Blogger Costa Tsiokos of Population Statistic, who cites precedent in the 1972 ownership swap between the Los Angeles Rams and the Baltimore Colts, offers this analysis:

The obvious result would have been the transfer of the Ontario-born and bred Wayne Gretzky from the western hinterlands to the heart of hockey country. Presumably, these Toronto Oilers would have hauled in a clutch of Stanley Cups in the '80s. What's more, it would have been extremely unlikely that Pocklington would have felt the financial pressure to trade away Gretzky by the end of that decade. So the Great One might have stayed with one team for his whole career, and the NHL's Sunbelt expansion would have needed a different catalyst than the LA Kings' acquisition of Gretzky (although it still would have happened).

As for the prospects of the Edmonton Oilers, I'd have to believe they would have fared much worse. The city of Edmonton showed during the lean '90s that it didn't care much for supporting a foundering organization, and the Ballard-led Leafs were exactly that. Without a wildly successful team to root for, chances are that NHL hockey would have withered in Oil Town, to the point where a relocated Leafs franchise might have had to relocate yet again -- leaving Edmonton without an NHL team in the end.

That's pretty much in line with what we're thinking. Expansion to non-traditional markets in the U.S. would have still occurred because the Board of Governors and Gary Bettman all felt it essential for better television contracts; and the Oilers would probably be the Houston Oilers by now without the "beloved franchise" status that came with its dynastic run.

The ripples in our timeline would have been endless. For example, the "Toronto Oilers" wouldn't have been the celebrity farm team for the New York Rangers in the early 1990s, so we might still be chanting "1940!" today if Mark Messier retired in Maple Leafs blue.

Can you think of any other "butterfly effect" changes in the NHL timeline if this Leafs/Oilers swap went down?

Would the NHL be a better League if -- gulp -- the Toronto Maple Leafs were considering one of the greatest dynasties in professional sports history?

Gotta love alternative NHL history. Those Gretzky Leafs would have had quite a rivalry with the Lindros Nordiques, right?

Related: Rumors, scuttlebutt, innuendo