Rather than seeking out goalie fixes through free agency, the remarkably busy Calgary Flames instead opt for trades.
First, they landed Mike Smith from the Arizona Coyotes. Now, on Thursday, they helped the Carolina Hurricanes clear up their logjam in net by taking Eddie Lack off their hands.
Here’s the breakdown of the parameters, via TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Cap Friendly, and other sources:
Flames get:
Lack at half of his salary
Ryan Murphy
2019 seventh-rounder
So Calgary clears up its goaltending situation ...
The upshot is CGY gets a back-up goalie in Lack for $1.375M with a year left on his contract. CAR's end of it is financial housecleaning.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 30, 2017
Murphy, 24, was the 12th pick of the 2011 NHL Draft. He’s played 151 regular-season games for Carolina, collecting 37 points. Murphy has bounced between the NHL and AHL for quite some time, so you certainly get the impression that the Hurricanes lost patience with him.
Hurricanes receive:
Keegan Kanzig
2019 sixth-rounder
It’s ultimately about savings for the Hurricanes.
With Carolina eating half of Lack’s salary, his cap hit will be $1.375 million, 1 year left. Murphy’s cap hit is $787,500. #Flames
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) June 30, 2017
No, Kanzig isn’t the former lead singer of The Misfits.
The 22-year-old defenseman was the 67th pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. He spent most of last season in the ECHL, playing six games with the AHL’s Stockton Heat.
Ultimately, the Hurricanes save money while sanding down their goalie duo to Scott Darling and Cam Ward. The Flames clarify their pairing as Smith and Lack, too. So it’s a pretty straightforward and beneficial deal for both sides.