The Arizona Coyotes have traded defenseman Brandon Gormley to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defenseman Stefan Elliott.
https://twitter.com/AZCoyotesNews/status/641793827087384577
Gormley was the 13th overall pick in 2010, as he was a star player in junior for the Moncton Wildcats. He was regularly rated as one of the game’s best prospects after he was drafted until his stock fell in more recent years. While he played mostly in the AHL last year, the 23-year-old scored four points in a 27-game stint with the Coyotes. Here’s what ESPN’s Corey Pronman said about his value.
He’s an example of many that have happened and many more to come, of the extreme variance in prospect development, and why you need to constantly re-evaluate players year to year.
That being said, while he longer is anywhere in the same realm of prospect as the Gormley from a few years ago, his vision, creativity, and positional play can still possibly get him a full-time NHL job. Maybe he can turn things around and elevate himself, crazier things have happened.
Elliott, drafted in the second round back in 2009, played prominently in Lake Erie last year, the Avs AHL affiliate. He scored 40 points in 64 games, and played five games with the big club going scoreless. Elliott has been exposed to waivers multiple times in the past, so he could have been had for free. The RFA doesn’t hold nearly the same value Gormley does, despite being slightly older.
This is a great move by the Avalanche. Their defense last season was not good enough, and taking a small risk on a player like Gormley – who may have some potential left – is an easy one to take, especially at the low cost of a non-prospect like Elliott.
