The Phoenix Coyotes made a pair of trades on Tuesday ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline.
First the Coyotes shipped defencemen David Rundblad and Mathieu Brisebois to the Chicago Blackhawks, for the Hawks second round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Later the Coyotes acquired forwards Martin Erat and John Mitchell from the Washington Capitals in exchange for forward Chris Brown, defenceman Rotislav Klesla and a fourth round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.
The 32-year-old Erat was acquired by the Capitals one year ago at the deadline in a deal that saw Filip Forsberg head to Nashville. He never really fit in Washington and requested a trade earlier this year. He now gets his wish. He has just one goal this season, but 23 assists in 54 games for the Capitals. He has the rest of this season, plus one more, at a cap hit of $4.5 million left on his contract.
“We’ve been looking at Martin for a long, long time,” Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. “We’re excited to have him.”
The 27-year-old Mitchell is on the final year of a two-year, two-way contract with a $542,500 cap hit. He has spent the entire year in the AHL, where he has 6 points in 19 games, and has yet to appear in an NHL game. It is important to note that this is not the same John Mitchell who previously played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers, that player of the same name is currently on the Colorado Avalanche.
The 31-year-old Klesla has one goal and three assists in 25 games with the Coyotes this season. The Coyotes waived him earlier in the season but he was not claimed. He is in the final year of a contract with a $2.975 million cap hit.
The 23-year-old Brown was a second round pick, 36th overall, of the 2009 draft. He has played in 11 career NHL games but has yet to record a point. He is currently in the AHL where he has 35 points in 51 games.
Rundblad, is a 23-year-old defenceman who has one point in six NHL games this season. The former Swedish Defenceman of the year, was acquired in the trade that saw Kyle Turris go to the Phoenix Coyotes. He is a promising puck moving defenceman who just hasn’t panned out in North America yet, but could benefit from the change in scenery.
Brisebois is a 21-year-old defenceman who was undrafted and signed as a free-agent with the Coyotes. In 2012-13 he scored 19 goals and 73 points in 64 games with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. This season he has four points in 24 games with the Portland Pirates in the AHL.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @lastwordBkerr. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our Hockey writing team. Visit our “Write for Us” page for very easy details in how you can get started today!
