Sens trade Rundblad, acquire Turris
With the Nikita Filatov gamble over, the Ottawa Senators took another stab at acquiring a player who could be a top-six forward when they acquired 22-year-old centre Kyle Turris from the Phoenix Coyotes.
But unlike the Filatov deal, which only cost them a third-round pick, the Turris gamble is expensive. It cost the Senators 21-year-old Swedish defenceman David Rundblad and a second-round draft pick.
Turris’ stay in Phoenix, which drafted him third overall in 2007, soured when he was unable to come to terms on a new deal with the Coyotes over the summer and held out for the first six weeks of the season.
He finally returned after signing a two-year, $2.8 million deal on Nov. 22.
But for someone who has attracted so much interest, Turris actually has a modest resume, split between the NHL and AHL, and is very much an unproven commodity.
He has appeared in six games since signing but doesn’t have a point.
In 65 games last season in Phoenix, he had only 11 goals and 14 assists.
He spent all of the 2009-10 season with the AHL San Antonio Rampage, getting 24 goals and 39 assists in 76 games.
In 2008-09, he played 63 games with the Coyotes, getting eight goals and 12 assists, and eight with San Antonio, getting four goals and three assists.
If this works, the Senators will have the second-line centre they need to line up behind Jason Spezza. If it doesn’t, fingers will be pointed at Rundblad as the one that got away.
Bryan Murray and staff has been great at stocking the cupboards with young talent, but his trades for players can be questionable, this one being no different. I wonder, after Kuba and Gonchar leave (hopefully they aren’t re-signed when their contracts expire due to their age), does this trade still make sense? The Senators showed some promise of having a dynamic defensive corps, but traded some of it away for a relatively unpredictable/unproven commodity.
WOW! This trade is so bad it has me questioning Murray’s mental state. Someone should get him in for a CAT scan.
Wow I guess you naysayers know more than 10 NHL GM’s who wanted Turris — there’s a reason he was in demand. Also have you watched the liability named Rundblad in his own end this year ?Absolutely brutal… nuff said.