Devin Shore is headed to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Anaheim Ducks traded Shore at the deadline, according to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports Midwest. The Ducks will receive Sonny Milano in return.
Selling on Milano seemed inevitable after his struggles this season, despite his obvious high-end skill. The 23-year-old winger has just five goals and 18 points this season and will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in the summer. It simply hasn’t worked for Milano in Columbus since the Blue Jackets selected him 16th overall in 2014, so they cashed him in to bring over a reliable bottom-six option for playoff run.
Shore, 25, has never really shown the offensive upside that Milano may bring one day, but he is a legitimate NHL talent you can roll out on the third or fourth line. The former Dallas Stars draft pick has played 282 games in the NHL, scoring 104 points including a career-high of 33 in 2016-17.
Shore might not have been the player that GM Jarmo Kekalainen targeted at the deadline, but with the impending return of Alexander Wennberg and Cam Atkinson the group is already going to get a dose of offense.
The team also traded Markus Hannikainen to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick. If Hannikainen plays 10 games for Arizona, the Blue Jackets will receive the pick.
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