NHL Trade Grades: Arizona Coyotes acquire Jason Demers from Panthers
The Florida Panthers traded defenseman Jason Demers to the Arizona Coyotes for Jamie McGinn. Let’s grade this trade for both teams involved.
Late on Sunday Sept. 17, the Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes made a noteworthy trade. The Panthers sent defenseman Jason Demers out west in exchange for forward Jamie McGinn. This trade is a bit of a change of scenery for both players, as they both signed multi-year deals in free agency in 2016.
For Florida, they get rid of a defenseman their current general manager (Dale Tallon) was never a fan of. Though he was in the front office last summer, Demers was a guy then general manager Tom Rowe wanted. Tallon clearly didn’t feel the same way.
Arizona got rid of McGinn just a year after signing him. His one year with the Coyotes won’t be remembered fondly, as he put up just 17 points in 72 games. With Arizona having numerous younger options available, McGinn was expendable.
Grading the trade for the Panthers
This is a bit of a confusing trade for Florida. Sure, Tallon clearly isn’t a fan of Demers. But losing him undeniably makes their blue line worse. Mark Pysyk likely moves into Demers’ second pairing role, playing alongside Keith Yandle. He put up promising numbers in his first season with the Panthers, though he has minimal experience playing in a top four defenseman role.
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McGinn is a year removed from putting up a career high 38 points. He’s a strong rebound candidate, but even then, he’s about a third line forward at best. McGinn likely slots in on the third line for the Panthers, with Nick Bjugstad as his center.
Using @DTMAboutHeart‘s GAR rankings, McGinn ranked 235th among all forwards (348th among all skaters). This suggests he’s about a third line caliber forward, as there are, on average, seven to eight forwards on any given team better than him. He has potential to add some scoring in a third line role, which is always important, but it’s worth noting McGinn has had trouble staying on the ice due to injuries.
The Panthers retained salary for Demers, which hurts their grade quite a bit. They took the lesser player of the trade and are paying to do it. That’s not good.
Grade: C-
Must Read: Panthers Season Preview
Grading the trade for the Coyotes
This is a very solid trade for the Coyotes. Give general manager John Chayka some credit. He started his job in 2016 with Arizona needing a blue line overhaul. Over the past two summers, Chayka has added Alex Goligoski, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Demers. Along with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and 2016 first round pick Jakob Chychrun, the Coyotes have a surprisingly good defensive core.
Demers has always been an analytics darling. He puts up points at a very consistent and solid rate. More importantly, when Demers is on the ice at even strength, shot attempts tend to tilt in favor of his team. The GAR stats referenced earlier have Demers ranked 36th in GAR. His highest value comes from his even strength offense, though his even strength defense is the 35th highest.
Most importantly, Demers gives the Coyotes their version of a unicorn – a right-handed defenseman capable of playing about 20 minutes a night. He should slot in very nicely next to Goligoski on the second pairing, but thanks to Hjalmarsson’s ability to play on either side, he could very well see minutes with Ekman-Larsson.
Grade: A+