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Oilers Trade Kassian Plus Picks to Coyotes For No. 32 In NHL Draft

The Edmonton Oilers have traded Zack Kassian and their first-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for a second and cap space.

The Edmonton Oilers have moved some money off their books with a trade that will send Zack Kassian to the Arizona Coyotes for a pick a few selections later. The actual trade, as reported by Elliotte Friedman is, Kassian, the No. 29 pick in the first round, plus a future second and third-round pick, for the No. 32 selection in this year’s draft.

One of the goals for Ken Holland coming into this year’s draft was to move salary off of the books. He mentioned to the media that he figured he would select at No. 29, but was also open to the phone ringing and a deal presenting itself. While Holland waits for Duncan Keith to decide what he’s going to do with his blue line — potentially waiting to trade Tyson Barrie — he had the flexibility to move Kassian’s contracts off the books to free up $3.2 million over the next two seasons.

Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that the Oilers are not retaining any of Zack Kassian’s cap hit/salary in the deal with Arizona.

This is going to be considered a good trade for the Coyotes based on where their team is at. The Oilers paid a hefty price to move the contract, and as Jonathan Willis of The Athletic points out, “Arizona does really well here, but obviously nobody valued Kassian to the degree Chicago valued Mrazek.” He adds, “Edmonton had to get out from under that contract, and in my view Holland did a reasonable job cleaning up the mess he created here.”

It is fair to critique Holland a bit here. He signed Kassian to the overpaid contract and then protected him in the NHL expansion draft thinking this was a player that could continue being an impactful forward on a regular basis. It turned out that Kassian could only offer moments of game-changing play. It came far too infrequently and Holland have to give up assets to ultimately move the player.

Fortunately, the Oilers didn’t have to buy the player out. Not having to do was likely worth the later picks.

Next: Maple Leafs Trade Mrazek To Blackhawks As Part of NHL Draft Trade

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