Philadelphia Flyers: Derek Grant Joins Nate Thompson in Philadelphia
By Kyle Pereira
Derek Grant’s the latest player heading to the Philadelphia Flyers, as the Flyers have traded for the Anaheim Ducks center.
The Philadelphia Flyers continue to address their forward depth with the acquisition of Derek Grant from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Kyle Criscuolo and a 2020 fourth-round pick.
Grant is a 29-year-old center, who has been playing bottom-6 minutes this season, and for pretty much his entire NHL career. This season, he has notched a career-high 14 goals and 6 assists for 20 points, just the second time he has eclipsed the 20-point mark.
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He is smart with the puck, but also doesn’t drive play often. That’s evident in his 70 takeaways and 50 giveaways. It’s also apparent in his very poor CF% of 39.9% this season. He’s also not particularly physical, recording over 50 hits just twice in his career, and he doesn’t get involved too much with shot-blocking.
Grant provided massive value to the Ducks with his penalty killing abilities. His 121 PK minutes this season ranks third on the Ducks roster. He has 4 short-handed points this season, including 3 goals. Among the Ducks PK players, Grant is among 4 that surpassed the 100 PK minute mark, and despite not being the best possession player, has the best CF% among those 4 players on the Ducks with 100+ PK minutes.
He ranks 27th among 171 forwards with 100+ PK minutes in scoring chances allowed while short-handed, making him a premier PK specialist for just about any team in the NHL. For the Flyers, who just recently became the third-ranked team in the stacked Metro division, adding a player that can help their average PK unit is definitely welcome. Not to mention, again, Grant is having a better-than-usual offensive season.
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As for what they gave up, the 2020 4th round pick contains decent value, but Kyle Criscuolo is a career-AHL player, with some potential as a fourth liner moving forward. The Flyers gave up very little to address their PK unit, which was already bolstered in their first trade, where they acquired Nate Thompson from the Montreal Canadiens. This, added with the addition of Thompson, makes this deal a very big win for the Flyers.