After being rumoured to be on the outs with the Canadiens for years, especially after choosing to go back to UND for a 4th year in the NCAA, Danny Kristo has finally been traded by Habs, but was it smart?
Kristo blitzed the NCAA last year with 26 goals and 26 assists in 40 games, which shows a high level of offense, however he was reportedly very underwhelming in his short stint with Hamilton in the AHL to end the year.
Either way, the Canadiens have decided to move on, trading him to the New York Rangers in exchange for Christian Thomas, the Rangers’ 2nd round pick in 2010, 40th overall.
Thomas is two years younger than Kristo, but has a year of pro development under his belt already after scoring 19 goals and 16 assists in 73 games with the Connecticut Whale in the AHL last year.
Thomas is a 5’9″, 162 pound right winger, which means he’s obscenely undersized. Hockey’s Future had Thomas ranked as the Rangers’ 3rd best prospect on the right wing, saying he has excellent speed and elite level hands, and could be a big scorer if he adjusts to the physicality of the pro game. Take the elite score part with a grain of salt.
Corey Pronman didn’t rank Thomas within the Rangers’ top 10 prospects, putting him at 11th due to a poor development year in 2011-12, along with size concerns.
My initial reaction is that it’s very unlikely that the Canadiens have won this trade, but Thomas has two years to catch up to where Kristo is now before we should judge too harshly. In any case he should help Hamilton’s scoring depth this year.
