Flames Shore Up Center Depth With Trade

Prior to the commencement of tonight’s game with the Florida Panthers, Flames general manager Brad Treliving made a trade with the visitors: center Corban Knight has been sent to the Panthers in exchange for center Drew Shore.

Knight, 24, is a Calgary-area native and was a fifth round pick of the Panthers in 2009. He was a Hobey Baker candidate at North Dakota and was eventually traded to Calgary for a fourth round pick a couple seasons back because it became apparent that there was no space for him in Florida with their center depth. In the Flames system, though, he’s arguably been leap-frogged by Bill Arnold, Markus Granlund and the additions of Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett.

Shore, 23, is a native of the Denver area who played college hockey with Flames forward Joe Colborne at the University of Denver. A second round pick of the Panthers in 2009, he has bounced between the NHL and AHL. He’s got 30 points in 35 games with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, and he’s amassed 20 points in 67 NHL contests to-date. He’s 6’3″ and 200 pounds, and was a teammate of Johnny Gaudreau with Team USA at the recent World Championships.

Ironically, it’s become apparent that there’s no spot for Shore in Florida due to center depth. He’s an AHL All-Star and will report to Adirondack. He’s subject to waivers after he plays one more NHL game, so if he comes up, he’s staying.

That should be when he gets called up. He’s big, he’s got a proven scoring touch at the pro level and he provides the Flames with much-needed size and skill in one package. Word is they’re quite high on him – a shocker, based on them trading for him.

Overall, a pretty sound move for the locals.