Flyers Trade Radko Gudas to Capitals for Matt Niskanen
Look at the Flyers thrusting themselves into the news cycle on a Friday morning.
They’re swapping defenseman Radko Gudas for Matt Niskanen, a pair of veterans going opposite directions in the Metropolitan Division.
Niskanen is 32 years old with two more years on his contract at $5.75 million per. Gudas is 29 and had one year remaining on his deal at $3.3 million.
There’s also this to consider, after the jump:
The Flyers retain 30 percent of Gudas' remaining $3.35-million cap hit/salary for next season. He's UFA in a year. https://t.co/V5s0Ys012r
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 14, 2019
Gudas was the Flyers’ most consistent d-man last year and won the Barry Ashbee Trophy, an award presented to… the team’s best d-man.
Niskanen is a righty, a veteran of 12 NHL seasons who won a Stanley Cup in Washington. His two-way game is better than Gudas’ two-way game, but I’m not sure how much better this trade makes the Flyers. Niskanen is the better overall player, sure, but is two years of him at nearly $6 million dollars better than one more year of Gudas at 40% of that salary? Either way, they get a steady presence on the blueline for next season.
Here are his career stats:
So, uh.. what do we make of this trade?