The Anaheim Ducks have been out of the playoff picture virtually all year and because of that, they have decided to sell. With that, they have traded forward Derek Grant to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Kyle Criscuolo a 4th-round draft pick.
This was a move that had been rumoured for a little bit and it finally came to fruition today. General manager Bob Murray is trying to recoup assets for next season as the Ducks transition to the offseason.
ANA working on Derek Grant to PHI for Kyle Criscuolo a 4th-rounder #SNTrade
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 24, 2020
Derek Grant Traded
This was Grant’s second stint with the Ducks and he’s been having a good season production-wise as he did before. In his first stint with the Ducks, he had a 12 goal season and for this season, he’s already surpassed that total with 14 goals in 49 games. He’s also on pace to have a career-high in points as before it was 24 and he already has 20 points this season.
Going Forward
Grant is a player that the Flyers won’t need him to be in their top six every night. They can put him in the bottom six on either line. He also comes extremely cheap to the cap as he makes just $700,000 for the rest of the season. He’s also not on the cap for next season so, for now, he looks like a rental. But, they may still want to sign him after the season as it’s likely he may come cheap again next season (just not $700K cheap).
He’s never been a player that’s had good underlying numbers despite his good production this season. His CF% this season is at a very low 40% and for his career, it’s only at 45.7%. He’s still a player that will help Philly down the stretch and into the playoffs for a potential playoff run. It may not have been a big move for them, but it was a necessary one as Anaheim retools.
SAN JOSE, CA – APRIL 16: Derek Grant #38 of the Anaheim Ducks shoots the puck against the San Jose Sharks in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on April 16, 2018 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)
