Arizona Coyotes Trade Gormley To Av’s For Stefan Elliott
The experiment to see if Brandon Gormley will work out with the Arizona Coyotes has ended.
He was traded tonight to the Colorado Avalanche for right-handed shooting defenseman Stefan Elliott. Brandon Gormley had been up and down between the American Hockey League affiliate Portland Pirates and the Arizona Coyotes last season. In 27 games with the Coyotes, he scored two goals, and had two assists with the parent club. He was the Coyotes 13th overall pick in 2010.
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Stefan Elliot was selected by the Avalanche in the second round in 2009. He appeared in 63 games over four different seasons, with this past season only appearing in five starts for Patrick Roy’s Av’s.
Brandon Gormley had signed a qualifying offer this summer, and Elliot is technically a restricted free agent. Elliot has agreed to a two-way one-year deal with the Coyotes, per GM Don Maloney.
Okay, as I thought something had to give with Brandon Gormley, and when he signed his qualifying offer it was thought he would be given yet another shot at making it with the team. But, as GM Don Maloney has mentioned of late, he was not yet done with wheeling and dealing this summer. He wanted to add a right-handed shooting defenseman, and he got one with Elliot.
Granted he’s not Cody Franson, but he may fit the bill for the Arizona Coyotes. He has more NHL experience than Gormley, and it seems obvious that the management of the Coyotes grew weary waiting to see if Gormley was ever going to blossom into a NHL caliber blue-liner.
In many respects, this may be the best scenario for both young players. Sometimes a change of scenery helps a player to get his head screwed on right, and he adjusts better, while progressing at a much faster pace.
The Arizona Coyotes have Philip Samuelsson awaiting in the AHL if Elliot doesn’t work out, but they just couldn’t invest any more time or energy waiting to see if Gormley would develop. Maybe he wasn’t given that great a shot at making the team, but now he can start afresh with a new team, and see if that works better for his career.
GM Don Maloney is known for making deals in spurts, so who knows if his trading hat is just getting broken in, or he going to put his back into making more deals.
In any case, here are Stefan Elliot’s stats to ponder: Welcome to the Arizona Coyotes, Stefan. Good luck Gorms.
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