The Vancouver Canucks traded Hunter Shinkaruk to the Calgary Flames for Markus Granlund today, confirmed the Canucks' team site. Shinkaruk, a former first round pick of the Canucks from 2013, leads the team's AHL affiliate Utica Comets in scoring with 39 points through 45 games. He appeared in one NHL game this season, recording no points in less than 10 minutes of ice time. Shinkaruk will report to the Flames' AHL affiliate Stockton Heat, according to Sportsnet.
In exchange for Shinkaruk, the Canucks receive Finnish-born Granlund who has 7 points in 31 games with the Flames this year. Granlund also spent time with the AHL Stockton Heat, recording 9 points in 12 games this season.
With the Canucks slipping further and further out of the playoff picture, the burning question is why they would trade a top prospect like Shinkaruk. Usually when a team ships a prospect for a more NHL ready player, it signals its intentions as buyers at the trade deadline. However, Canucks GM Jim Benning likes the versatility that Granlund brings, according to Thomas Drance, and it is possible the Canucks see the 22-year-old as a better fit long-term for the club.
"He's a two-way player that can play in any situation, up, down in our lineup. He can play LW, he can play center," said Benning of Granlund.
A highly touted prospect, Shinkaruk proved his scoring ability in the AHL this year, however, his offensive numbers mask defensive holes in his game, according to Jeff Veillette, which is something Granlund has had more time to develop in his first three seasons of pro hockey.
Granlund was drafted by the Flames in the second round of the 2011 draft two years before Shinkaruk, and it's possible the Canucks see Granlund as a more responsible player. After trading Shinkaruk, Benning refused to admit if the Canucks will be buyers or sellers before next week's trade deadline, according to Drance.
"Our intention is not to discuss publicly our plans for the deadline" - Benning
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) February 22, 2016
