Follow @james_tanner123 Give John Chayka some credit - if I heard that Don Waddell and Rick Dudley were running a hockey team, the first thing I'd do is call them as well.
The most hilarious and baffling front office ever assembled deserves all the scorn it gets. I personally would hire whoever the first commentor on this blog is to run an NHL team before those two. But anyways.....
The Coyotes get a 3rd Round Pick in this year's draft and Markus Kruger in exchange for Jordan Martinook and a 4th.
Not too shabby.
Markus Kruger has two Stanley Cups, is 27 years old and extremely overpaid.
Jordan Martinook has zero Stanley Cups, is 25 years old and is not overpaid.
Both players have one more year on their deals.
Last year he put up a 54% CF, but was a negative relative to his team. The 'Canes top lines were among the best possession lines in the NHL, so it's hard to get a read on his effectiveness here. Essentially, his team gets more touches when he's on the ice than they allow, so that's good. He has also been a constant +50% player for his entire career.
He's now four seasons removed from his career high 28 points, however. But he is good defensively, he plays centre, and he kills penalties.
On the otherside, Martinook is also a quality fourth line player. The Hurricanes didn't do too badly here if their goal is to save money, but both things being equal, I'd take Kruger.
He's got the two Cups, he can score probably a bit more than he has, and he's among the better fourth line centres in the NHL.
This is a good trade by Chayka because for the cost of taking on some salary that won't effect his salary cap, he moves up in the draft and gets someone who's won two Cups on his team.
Carolina even retains a bit of salary here, which makes this even better for the Coyotes.
The Coyotes, for about a Million Bucks, turn a 4th into a 3rd and get a 4th line C who is better than what they currently have (Cousins/Richardson).
Martinook is effective, but nothing less valuable on a hockey team than a fourth line winger, so I have to say this is a win for the Coyotes.
Stats: Natualstattrick.com + ownthepuck.blogspot.ca - capfriendly.com + hockeydb.com