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Deadline Deals

TRADE: GRANLUND SENT TO VANCOUVER IN EXCHANGE FOR SHINKARUK

The second trade of February 22 involved two more teams from the Pacific Division, as forward Markus Granlund now wears the blue and green of the Vancouver Canucks and forward Hunter Shinkaruk sports the flaming ‘C’ of Calgary.

Unknown-1Granlund is a 22 year old center who has four goals and three assists in 31 NHL games played this season in Calgary.  He is in the final year of his three-year restricted free agent contract with an AAV of $925,000.

The 6’, 178-pound native of Oulu, Finland has played in 86 career regular season NHL games with the Calgary Flames, posting 14-14-28 career totals and 24 career penalty minutes. Granlund has a -3 rating and eight penalty minutes thus far in the 2015-2016 season and averaged 12:58 TOI per game with Calgary.

He was drafted by the Flames in the second round (45th overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and has represented Finland internationally, most recently the 2012 and 2013  IIHF World Junior Championships in Alberta, Canada and Ufa, Russia, respectively.

Unknown-4Shinkaruk is a 21-year old center who’s 21 goals ranks seventh best
in the AHL this season, with a total scoring line reading 21-18-39 in 45 games. At the completion of this season, he will have two more seasons remaining on his three year restricted free agent contract, with an AAV of $1,075,833.

His NHL career is only 9:35 long, as he appeared in only one game for the Canucks.  He played in 119 career AHL games in two seasons with the Utica Comets, amassing 37-33-70 totals.

With this trade, the 5’10″, 181-pound native of Calgary, Alberta returns to play for his hometown organization.  He was drafted in the first round (24th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Canucks.  He has represented Team Canada twice in his career, most recently at the 2012 World Junior U18 Championship in the Czech Republic, where he took bronze.

Granlund had been playing with the senior club of late, but will probably be directed to Utica to play for the AHL franchise, who next play this Friday when they host the St. John’s Ice Caps.  Shinkaruk has already received orders from the Flames that he will play for the Heat, who next play this Wednesday, when they host the San Diego Gulls.