This and That - Isles Acquire Ben Walter

In the blockbuster move of the summer, the Isles traded away former first round pick Petteri Nokelainen for Ben Walter, the MVP of the AHL's Providence Bruins. At first glance, one might note that Walter was a fifth round pick, and it seems odd that a former fifth rounder would be traded for a former first rounder. But the key word is “former.” Anyone who knows a thing or two about drafting knows how hard it is to project how a player will develop on draft day. Each of these players was drafted in 2004, but have followed very different paths over the past few years.

Nokelainen has been plagued by knee injuries (he might still be hurt) and has never found a consistent offensive game in North America when healthy. However, since both he and Walter played full seasons in the AHL last season, we could start by comparing the seasons each player had last year.

Nokelainen played 60 games, with 6 goals and 10 assists, and a -11 +/- last season. Walter on the other hand, played 73 games, with 24 goals and 43 assists, and a +23 +/- last season. So there goes the argument that we got robbed by sending a first rounder for a fifth rounder. It’s the AHL granted, but Walter outscored Nokie by 51 points and had better +/- by 34. That is quite a substantial difference. Also, Walter was the leader, the MVP of his AHL club, while Nokie was more of the spare part in Bridgeport. I'm not sure what Snow knows that we don't, but on paper it sure looks like a pretty ok deal to me.

Walter is probably a better prospect than Ryan O'marra (who was a similar player) ever was, and probably will help the Isles more than Nokie ever could. Blockbuster? No not quite. But seems to work well and maybe, just maybe, Walter can crack the lineup in a year or two.