Pens Trade Grant To Ducks

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded former Sea Dogs captain Alex Grant to the Anaheim Ducks today.

The 24-year old defenseman was dealt to the Ducks in exchange for left winger Harry Zolnierczyk. Not exactly a blockbuster trade here.

Grant was drafted by the Penguins in fourth-round of the 2007 NHL Draft and has spent his entire pro career in the minor levels of the organization. He had one of the best seasons of his career in 2011-12, recording 37 points in 61 games with the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He registered four goals and 16 assists in 46 games with the baby Pens this past season.

As Pensburgh explains beautifully, this is probably a good move for Grant.

For the Penguins it's not a big loss, Grant (a former 4th round pick) has been in the minors for the past four seasons and is quite buried on the organization's depth chart even before the bluechip pipeline of prospect defensemen is about to kick guys like Scott Harrington, Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot into the system in the coming months/years. Grant's been a good AHL defenseman and isn't a bad player, but his chances of ever amounting to much in Pittsburgh's organization just weren't rosy. He'll get a new start and the Pens will get some forward depth that they badly need.

Grant will join another former Sea Dogs defenseman – Kevin Gagne – in the Anaheim system.

The Sea Dogs selected Grant with the first overall pick in the 2005 QMJHL Entry Draft. He spent three-and-a-half seasons with the club before being traded to the Shawinigan Cataractes during the 2008-09 trading period.