Flyers trade Upshall and second to Phoenix for Carcillo

The Flyers finally made their presence felt before the 3 P.M trade deadline Wednesday, as they traded forward Scottie Upshall and a second-round pick in 2011 to the Phoenix Coyotes for 24-year old Daniel Carcillo.

Carcillo‘s talent is sometimes overlooked since he is known for his tough demeanor and role as an agitator.   Similar to what Upshall brought to the Flyers in terms of energy, grit and personality, the Flyers did indeed sacrificed some skill and quickness for the ability to drop the gloves and play a bigger, tougher (cheaper) game.  Two years younger than Upshall and $400,000 less on the cap,  the Flyers got tougher and a bit younger, while also giving themselves some cap breathing room.

Carcillo racked up 324 PIMS in 2007-08 and has three  goals and seven assists in 54 games for the Coyotes this season.  The Flyers hope Carcillo will need to fight less in the orange and black and focus on developing his game more.  With overlooked talent, Carcillo could develop into a nice third line player for the Flyers.  He is under contract until the end of the 2009-10 season.

Upshall scored 38 goals and 55 assists in 211 games as a Flyer.  The fan favorite was set to become a unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2008-09 season and it wasn’t guarenteed that the Flyers would be able to afford his new contract demands.  In Phoenix, Upshall will likely play top-six minutes and get the pay check he was looking for.  The Coyotes, under coach Wayne Gretzky, are looking to re-build the team with quickness and more chracter, to which Upshall should thrive.