Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall entered the 2015 NHL Draft with a desperate need to shed salary. On Saturday, the second day of the draft, he did just that.
The Flyers dealt stay-at-home defenseman Nicklas Grossmann and the contract of injured defenseman Chris Pronger to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for center Sam Gagner and a future draft pick.
"Gagner, 25 (8/10/1989), recently completed his eighth NHL season. In 81 games for the Coyotes in 2014-15, he recorded 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points, along with 28 PIM," reads the Flyers release announcing the move.
"He joined the Coyotes on June 29, 2014 after being traded twice in the same day - first from Edmonton to Tampa Bay in exchange for Teddy Purcell, and later on from Tampa Bay to Arizona with B.J. Crombeen in exchange for a 6th round pick in 2015."
Hextall dubbed the move a win-win for both sides.
"This is a cap deal that works for both teams. This doesn't get us out of trouble, but it gets us moving in the right direction," he said, via Frank Seravalli of TSN.
The Flyers and former GM Paul Holmgren acquired Grossmann in Feb. 2012 for a 2012 second-round pick and a 2013 third-round pick. He's a tough player willing to do the dirty work, but became something of a poster child for a Flyers defensive corps that was both too old and too slow to really compete in recent days. Per Seravalli, the Flyers will retain a portion of his salary.
According to Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Flyers will either receive a 2016 fourth-round pick or a 2017 third-round pick to complete the deal. Per Carchidi, it is Arizona's choice.
Moving Pronger's albatross of a contract - even if he was on long-term injured reserve - was huge for Hextall. Pronger, who suffered a head injury and hasn't suited up in several seasons, remained on the Flyers books despite his status. Hextall has finally found a way out from under that.
There is already talk the Flyers may simply buy out Gagner, who, while once highly touted, has failed to live up to that billing.
As Seravalli notes, were that to happen, the Flyers would have essentially moved Grossmann's $3.5 million cap hit and Pronger's $4.94 million cap hit for a buyout charge of $633,000.
