The Columbus Blue Jackets made their first deadline trade about an hour out from the 3:00 pm cutoff. It’s not a splashy event, but the Jackets acquired defenseman Kyle Quincey from the New Jersey Devils, in return for defenseman Dalton Prout. The trade was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger. Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch confirmed that the trade is one-for-one; no salary retained, no other picks or players involved.
The move looks to be a depth acquisition, a trade to help bolster defensive depth in Columbus. Kyle Quincey is 31, better known as a longtime member of the Detroit Red Wings (a Wings pick in 2003, and a Detroit player for parts of 8 seasons over his career via Hockey-Reference). This season, Quincey has played in 53 games, averaging 18:38 with the Devils, and making some marginal offensive impacts (4 goals, and 12 points).
The leaving player, Dalton Prout, turns 27 later this month. Prout had been a depth d-man on the outside looking in with Columbus. A combination of injuries and position on the depth chart meant Prout only appeared in 15 games for the Jackets this year (player page via Hockey-Reference).
Our own Alison has shared HERO Charts comparing the two d-men (HERO via Own The Puck).
Prout gets a fresh start after falling down the CBJ depth chart. Quincey comes in 4-8-12 in 53 GP this year. pic.twitter.com/d7gs3ifHJx
— Alison (@AlisonL) March 1, 2017
There are some profile differences between the two players. Prout has tended to be a better shot-preventer, Quincey has tended to be a better shot-producer and provides a bit more offense. On the whole, though, it’s not a massive upgrade (or downgrade) in any given direction. Micah Blake McCurdy shared another player profile on Twitter, and notes that Prout is more penalty-prone than Quincey.
The biggest change? Kyle Quincey’s contract expires at the end of this season, with a $1.25 M AAV (via Cap Friendly). Dalton Prout’s contract continues through the 2017-18 season, and includes his $1.575M cap hit (again, via Cap Friendly).
This means the Blue Jackets continue to maintain defensive depth for this season’s playoff run, while helping to free up a roster spot and cap space in the 2017-18 season.
The deadline’s now about 30 minutes away, and we’ll update if any more moves happen for the Blue Jackets.
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