| Defenseman Keaton Ellerby is headed to the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth-round draft pick. (Getty Images) |
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The Florida Panthers parted ways with a former top-10 pick on Friday morning, trading defenseman Keaton Ellerby to the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth-round draft pick.
Ellerby, the Panthers' first-round pick in 2007 (No. 10 overall), appeared in nine games this season and recorded no points while logging more than 15 minutes of ice time per game.
Assistant general manager Mike Santos told George Richards of the Miami Herald that the team had too many one-way contracts and needed to clear some space on the roster. No matter the reason, it's clear that Ellerby just didn't quite pan out as expected with Florida. In 125 career games, he scored two goals to go with 15 assists.
Ellerby's departure could give 28-year-old Tyson Strachan an increased role on the Panthers' blue line.
The draft pick that is going to Florida is the same one that Los Angeles picked up this week when it sent young forward Andrei Loktionov to the New Jersey Devils.
So from a Kings perspective, they basically traded Loktionov, a talented-but-somewhat-disappointing young forward for Ellery, a talented-but-disappointing young defenseman.
And that seems like it's the proper value for both players.
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