Blades swing pair of deals ahead of WHL trade deadline

The Saskatoon Blades were busy shaking up their roster on Thursday as teams across the WHL raced to complete any deals ahead of Friday’s trade deadline.

The Blades started the evening by moving Washington Capitals prospect Eric Florchuk and a 2021 seventh-round bantam draft pick to the Vancouver Giants for Evan Patrician, a 2020 first-round draft choice and a 2021 second-round selection.

“We are very excited to welcome Eric Florchuk to the Vancouver Giants,” Vancouver general manager Barclay Parneta said in a media release. “He’s an experienced, versatile, natural centre that has taken a lot of faceoffs in his career, which is invaluable. And he adds a scoring touch.”

The first-round selection didn’t last long in Saskatoon as it was quickly sent to Prince George along with 18-year-old Majid Kaddoura and unsigned forward Jayden Watson for 18-year-old Rhett Rhinehart and a third-round selection in the upcoming bantam draft.

Rhinehart is listed as a C-rated prospect in the upcoming 2020 NHL draft. A 6-foot-4, 205-pound product of Lloydminster, Alta., Rhinehart was selected 13th overall in the 2016 WHL bantam draft by the Prince Albert Raiders. The defenceman has 44 points in 166 WHL regular season games with the Raiders and Cougars.

Florchuk was originally acquired by the Blades for two first-round selections (2019 and 2021) and a fourth-round draft pick (2018) at the 2018 WHL trade deadline. The product of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., was brought in to play alongside close friend and longtime minor hockey teammate Kirby Dach. Florchuk amassed 74 points in 101 games in a Blades uniform, adding four points in 10 playoff games.

“The whole Blades organization thanks Eric for his two years in his Saskatoon and wish him all the best in his hockey career,” Blades president and general manager Colin Priestner said in a media release.

The WHL trade deadline arrives Friday at 4 p.m.

Priestner is to speak to the media at 3:45 p.m.