The WHL trade deadline arrives at 11 a.m. Saturday. Find any Silvertips trade news here. Everett general manager Garry Davidson has stated he’s in the market to improve the team, with forward being the priority. Keep in mind that although the deadline comes at 11:00, it usually takes an hour or two for all the paperwork to be finalized.
Also, because of the Seahawks playoff game Saturday evening, there will be no live blog of Everett’s game at Swift Current.
—- UPDATE, 8:10 a.m.
Nothing yet, but there was news late last night as another former Everett player is headed back west. Winger Zane Jones, who was dealt to Lethbridge early in the season as the odd-man out in Everett’s overage situation, saw swapped back to Vancouver in something of a three-way exchange of overage forwards. The Tips still have three games remaining against the Giants, so they’ll see plenty of Jones the rest of the way.
—- UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.
The deadline has passed. I’ve been informed the Tips have a minor deal to announce at noon, so stay tuned.
—- UPDATE, 12:20
The Tips made just one move at the trade deadline, and it was actually a player going out rather than a player coming in. Everett dealt defenseman Carter Cochrane to Tri-City in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. Cochrane, an 18-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., appeared in 31 games with the Tips this season, registering one assist. Though a defenseman, he played more at forward than at defense. His most memorable moments came in shootouts, when he kept the epic 15-round shootout against Kamloops in November alive, then scored the shootout winner against Seattle a week later.
Cochrane’s departure leaves Everett’s roster looking thin. The Tips are now down to 22 full-time players — 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders. That includes winger Logan Aasman, who appears to be a long-term injury absence.
More after speaking with Everett general manager Garry Davidson.
—- UPDATE, 12:45 (final)
I’ve talked to Davidson and here’s what he had to say:
– He said the Cochrane deal was made because the team had too many defensemen, and that this would give Cochrane more of a chance to play at his natural position. The conditions of the draft pick are that it starts as a seventh rounder, but could upgrade depending on how Cochrane performs with the Americans.
– Davidson sounded very frustrated about not being able to add a forward or two. He was trying right up to the deadline, but he described the prices as “way too expensive.” He said teams were asking for young roster players, which makes me think they were trying to get the likes of Kevin Davis and Noah Juulsen, and that just wasn’t going to happen.
– Davidson was still optimistic about the team going forward, considering it’s won 25 games and is in first place in the U.S. Division. He didn’t seem concerned about how thin the roster looks, saying the team had a good group of affiliated players to call upon. He specifically mentioned 15-year-old defenseman Jantzen Leslie, who he said has played very well during the road trip and would be rejoining the Tips as soon as his midget season ends. Leslie has two assists and is a plus-3 in five games. Technically he’s reached his limit for games as a 15-year-old, but exceptions are made because of injuries, and with Cochrane traded away that may be the case for Everett in Saturday’s game at Swift Current.
– I asked if his trading a defenseman away meant there was anything new on the Mirco Mueller front. He said there was nothing new, but he did confirm that if Mueller is sent back now that the trade deadline is passed, the Tips will be able to use three Euros.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
