Andrej Sekera to LA
At the NHL draft in 2013, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired defenseman Andrej Sekera from the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Jamie McBain and a 2013 second round draft pick, much to the approval of Canes faithful (nightmarish McBain flashbacks incoming!).
Sekera was a rock for the Canes in his first season with the team – he scored 11 goals and 44 points from the blueline (both stats led all Canes defenders), drove play with strong possession numbers and played all situations for the team – leading the squad in ice-time per game.
His offensive numbers took a step back in 2014-15, but he remained a rock defensively for the team, and as a pending free agent, was commanding a long-term, big money extension from the team. The Canes were very much a budget team back then, and negotiations eventually went south.
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That led to the Carolina Hurricanes being forced into trading Sekera, which they did a couple of days before the trade deadline in February 2015. Sekera, who was dealt to Los Angeles, got a very solid return for the team – a 2016 first-round pick and prospect defender Roland McKeown, who was just 19 at the time.
Sekera went on to play just 16 games for the Kings, who actually failed to qualify for the playoffs, before eventually walking to free agency and signing a 6-year, 30-million dollar deal with the Edmonton Oilers that summer.
The Hurricanes went on to draft Julien Gauthier with the first-round pick they acquired in that deal, and Ron Francis expressed excitement in Roland McKeown, who at 19 was one of the Canes’ most highly thought of prospects at the time.
"“Roland has served in leadership positions for Kingston and Hockey Canada and is a good defenceman that our scouts like.” said Francis."
Though McKeown has yet to break into the NHL and is now 24, he still remains in the organization and has been a huge part of Charlotte’s success in the AHL. Gauthier was obviously recently traded for Joey Keane, who becomes part of the overall trade tree.
While the deal maybe hasn’t quite gone on to harvest the fruit Carolina was expecting, the overall return for a 16-game rental was quite significant.
If nothing else, the trade should prove that giving up valued assets for rentals isn’t a sure thing by any means – as LA gave up a top prospect at the time, and a 1st round pick – for a guy who played 16 total games for the team and didn’t help them make the playoffs. Remember that today when Carolina either does, or does not make a move.