The Montreal Canadiens have announced they have traded forward Kerby Rychel to the Calgary Flames. In exchange, the Canadiens receive forward Hunter Shinkaruk. Both players require waivers to be placed in the AHL.
The @NHLFlames have traded forward Hunter Shinkaruk (VAN, 2013 NHL Draft, No. 24) to the @CanadiensMTL for forward Kerby Rychel (CBJ, 2013 NHL Draft, No. 19).
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) August 20, 2018
Calgary Flames Acquire Kerby Rychel
Kerby Rychel was acquired in part of the trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs that also brought in Rinat Valiev and a second round pick (Jacob Olofsson) in exchange for long-time Habs centre Tomas Plekanec at last year’s NHL Trade Deadline. In 41 career NHL games, Rychel has scored three goals and added 11 assists for 14 points. He was originally drafted in the first round, 19th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Rychel spent most of the last season in the AHL between the Toronto Marlies and Laval Rocket. In 71 games, he scored 18 goals and added 24 assists for 42 points last year. He was called up to the Habs for four games at the end of the season where he recorded one goal and one assist.
The Flames signed him after the deal.
The Calgary #Flames have signed RFA forward Kerby Rychel to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650k at the NHL level.
Rychel was acquired earlier today in a trade with the Montreal #Canadienshttps://t.co/hzMhuypZif https://t.co/posZeT7KZR
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 20, 2018
Canadiens Acquire Hunter Shinkaruk
Shinkaruk, 23, was originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks. He was traded to Calgary in a move that sent Markus Granlund to Vancouver. In 15 career NHL games, Shinkaruk has scored two goals and two assists for four points. Last season, Shinkaruk played for the Stockton Heat, where he scored 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points in 63 games.
The Canadiens have signed Shinkaruk to a one-year contract. He was a restricted free agent. Terms are courtesy of CapFriendly.
The #Habs have agreed to a 1 year, 2-way contract with RFA forward, Hunter Shinkaruk, who they acquired earlier today from the #Flames
The contract has a league minimum $650k salary at the NHL level, and an $80k minors salary ($105k gauranteed)https://t.co/6NITeAUKo0 https://t.co/GPsU87njj2
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 20, 2018
What This Means
Shinkaruk joins what was already a very crowded Habs wing group, while Rychel will have to fight for his spot on a Calgary team that also has options on the wing. These two players were both once considered to be very promising prospects, but neither has lived up to the expectations. A fresh start with a new club could be exactly what Rychel and/or Shinkaruk needs to rejuvenate his career.
Rychel, 24, has been the more productive player. He is not a great skater but plays a power-based game. He also scores goals with a good shot. Shinkaruk is a bit undersized but is a tremendous skater. His offensive numbers in the minors, while decent, are not as good as Rychel’s minor league numbers. However, he has been known to have a better defensive game and to be able to kill penalties.
