The Other Trade: Erixon for Gordon

 

Lost in the furor surrounding the Cody Hodgson/Zack Kassian deal, was a minor deal the Canucks snuck in before the buzzer today. The team moved undrafted defensive prospect Sebastian Erixon to the Ducks for right-wing grinder Andrew Gordon. Here’s the media release.

This is a swap that makes sense for both sides: while Sebastian Erixon is the better NHL prospect, he’d struggled to find a regular spot in the Chicago Wolves lineup. We at Canucks Army had high-hopes for Erixon going into the season, but he was reportedly unhappy in the organization.

Andrew Gordon on the other hand has appeared in 37 NHL games for Anaheim this season, and is a typical NHL fourth liner. In the NHL he’s played protected minutes, against fourth line competition and has generally lost his possession battles. He’s got a -10 number on the season, but that’s largely explainable by his 950 PDO. In the AHL, however, Andrew Gordon is a useful bottom-6 forward who will at least be a regular in the line-up (something that Erixon was not).