Monday the Calgary Flames traded one disappointing former top prospect for another when they sent Hunter Shinkaruk to Montreal in exchange for Kerby Rychel.
Both players were chosen in the 1st round of the 2013 draft and have failed to live up to the expectations that come with their draft slots.
Shinkaruk has appeared in 15 NHL games thus far and has four points to show for it. Rychel has dressed in 41 and tallied 14 points.
Trades like this are often described as trying to give players fresh starts. Sometimes there's more to it but that doesn't appear to be the case here. There really isn't much separating the two.
Split between Toronto and Laval, Rychel averaged .59 points per game and 1.67 points per 60 during 5v5 play last season.
Shinkaruk played in 63 games for Stockton and posted very similar numbers averaging .51 points per game and 1.7 points/60 at 5v5.
Rychel was a slightly more efficient goal scorer during that game state while Shinkaruk's average was a little higher on a per game basis.
I expect both players to primarily remain AHLers in 2018-19 and I'm not sure this trade moves the needle much for either team's farm club.
This appears to be a fair, and rather inconsequential, trade.