Two more trades in the WHL yesterday, as we draw to within 48 or so hours of the trade deadline (3pm MST on Thursday, I believe it is).
The first was a relatively minor deal as the Victoria Royals sent 19 year old defenceman Jesse Zgraggen to the Calgary Hitmen for a 2013 4th round bantam pick. Zgraggen is a nice depth pickup on the blueline for the Hitmen, a 3-year veteran who isn't flashy but gives them another veteran body for a reasonable price.
The other way to look at things there is that adding Zgraggen gives the Hitmen eight defencemen, six who are 18 or older, which means another deal could be on the way which moves one of them out. So we'll see.
The other deal though was a bigger one and a bit of a head scratcher to me: Lethbridge has traded 17 year old forward Jay Merkley to Swift Current for 19 year old forward Josh Derko and a 2014 3rd round bantam pick.
Merkley was the #3 overall pick in the 2010 bantam draft and has 22 points, including 14 goals, in 44 games this year. That's probably a bit lower than what was expected from such a high pick (considering that #5 overall pick and Merkley's bantam teammate, Morgan Klimchuk of the Pats, is well over a point a game this year as a 17 year old) but still 22 points is a respectable number for a 17 year old forward. The guy the Hurricanes are getting, Derko, has only 28 points in his 2.5 year WHL career.
Now, Derko is a different player than Merkley; Derko was never going to be a big scorer and that's not his thing. He's a big body (6'2") who brings some grit, toughness, and leadership - he was an alternate captain for the Broncos. And the Hurricanes are full of small, young forwards and they could definitely use a guy like Derko. It's just the price....Lethbridge fans suffered through a .333 season in 2009-10 to get that #3 overall pick and now the prize for that season is Josh Derko and a 2014 3rd round pick.
Lethbridge G.M. Rich Preston's explanation for the deal is that he feels the Hurricanes have ample young forward depth and can afford to make this move. I agree, they have lots of good young guys up front. I just don't see how that justifies trading any player for what appears to be less than full value. If Merkley finds the scoring numbers in Swift that got him that #3 pick status in the first place, this could be a trade that Lethbridge really, really regrets in a year's time.
And one more thing here - another aspect to this trade is that the #1 overall pick in that 2010 draft, Alex Forsberg, is currently at home awaiting a trade from the Prince George Cougars. If the Merkley trade is an indication of the offers on the market out there for Forsberg, then it could be a while before Forsberg finds himself in a new home.
1 comment:
Merkley wanted out. He asked for trade back in October. It's. Preston vs. Merkley clash. Interesting that you make the comparison to Klimer. They've always competed...I think certain camps felt he was falling behind. Happy for the player.
Post a Comment