Music: {allcanada} Oilers get Korpikoski from Coyotes for Gordon

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

{allcanada} Oilers get Korpikoski from Coyotes for Gordon

The Arizona Coyotes announced that they have traded Lauri Korpikoski to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Boyd Gordon.

Korpikoski set career-highs in 2010-11 with 19 goals and 40 points, but he hasn't been able to replicate that level of offensive success in recent years. The 28-year-old forward was limited to six goals, 15 assists, and a minus-27 rating in 69 contests last season. At the same time, he averaged 1:41 minutes of shorthanded ice time per game and finished second among Coyotes forwards with 141 hits.

He comes with an annual cap hit of $2.5 million for the next two campaigns. Gordon will cost Arizona $3 million next season, although he's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after that.

Gordon previously spent two seasons with the Coyotes before signing with Edmonton in the summer of 2013. The 31-year-old center has never reached the 30-point mark in a single campaign, but he does excel on the draw. He won 55.9% of his faceoffs in 2014-15 and has a 55.3% career record. He also led all Oilers forwards last season with an average of 2:24 minutes of ice time in shorthanded situations.