Bob McKenzie of TSN has reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired left winger Kerby Rychel from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. In exchange, the Blue Jackets receive defence prospect Scott Harrington and a conditional fifth round pick.
TOR gets Kerby Rychel from CBJ for Scott Harrington and a conditional pick.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 25, 2016
Kerby Rychel Traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Sportsnet’s John Shannon first reported that the Leafs and Blue Jackets had a trade brewing shortly after the NHL Draft concluded in Buffalo. With the trade market quiet all day, this was the only major deal from day two of the draft.
Rychel, 21, played 32 games for Columbus this past season, recording 9 points. He also saw a significant chunk of time in the AHL with the Lake Erie Monsters, with whom he won the Calder Cup a few weeks ago. The 6’1″, 213 lb. forward finished with 6 goals and 21 assists in 37 games with the Monsters, also contributing 6 points in the playoffs.
The Blue Jackets drafted Rychel 19th overall in the 2013 draft. His entry-level contract has two years left, with a cap hit of $863,333.
Scott Harrington, going the other way to Columbus, spent much of this year with the AHL Toronto Marlies. He appeared in 17 games for them, recording 3 points. Harrington, 23, also spent 15 games in the NHL with the Leafs this season.
Harrington was acquired by the Leafs in July of 2015, as part of the deal that sent Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was picked 54th overall by the Penguins in the 2011 draft.
The conditional 2017 fifth round pick involved in this trade comes into play if the Blue Jackets place Harrington on waivers. If they do, and he is claimed by another team, the Leafs will surrender the pick.
This trade seems tilted in the favour of the Leafs, and Columbus may have been handcuffed by the fact that Rychel requested a trade earlier in the season. Toronto has a surplus of left-handed defensive prospects, and as such were willing to part with Harrington in exchange for a player that Mike Babcock will be tasked with pulling out of a slump.
