In a rare trade during playoff season, the Vancouver Canucks have acquired defenseman Erik Gudbranson and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft from the Florida Panthers in exchange for young center Jared McCann, plus second- and fourth-round picks in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Panthers trade Erik Gudbranson to Canucks for prospect Jared McCann and picks
We have our first trade of the offseason!
Robert Duyos-USA TODAY Sports
It will be McCann, a second and a fourth for Gudbranson and a fifth. All picks this year
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 26, 2016
Gudbranson, 24, has played five seasons with the Panthers so far in his NHL career since being selected No. 3 overall in the 2010 draft. In 309 games, the defenseman has 43 points and 346 penalty minutes. Playing on the second pairing for the Panthers, Gudbranson averaged 20:07 minutes of ice time per game.
The move is a head-scratching one for Canucks general manager Jim Benning, who gave up a 20-year-old prospect and two 2016 draft picks for a defenseman who has scored 10 or more points just once in his career.
Florida, meanwhile, gets the lion’s share of the deal, with prospect McCann and a pair of picks in June. The center tallied 18 points in 69 games for the Canucks this past season and has 187 points in 184 career OHL games.
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