Avalanche trade G Reto Berra for F Rocco Grimaldi

As reported on Twitter by George Richards, Avalanche goaltender Reto Berra has been traded to the Florida Panthers for center Rocco Grimaldi. Florida drafted Grimaldi, a Southern California native, in second round (33rd overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old comes in at just 5’6″ and 180 pounds. He’s gifted offensively, has superb skating skills, and is very competitive. His size, however, is definitely a knock against him, much in the same way it is against Joey Hishon, so he’s most likely destined for San Antonio. Coincidentally, he spent the 2014-15 season with the Rampage, notching 14 goals and 28 assists in 42 games. His AHL production was similar in 2015-16 when he played for the Portland Pirates (16g, 17a, 52 games). He has 27 NHL games under his belt (4g, 2a).

More about Grimaldi from the Avalanche:

• Grimaldi made his NHL debut with the Panthers in 2014-15, appearing in seven games (1g/0a). Prior to turning pro, Grimaldi played two full seasons at the University of North Dakota, tallying 77 points (31g/46a) in 86 games. He led the team with 39 points (17g/22a) in 42 games as a sophomore in 2013-14.
• Internationally, Grimaldi helped Team USA win gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship in Russia, scoring two goals—including the game winner—in the final against Sweden. He was also part of the United States’ gold medal winning teams at the 2010 and 2011 IIHF Under-18 World Championships.

This trade clears up the question mark surrounding the Avalanche goaltender situation. Clearly, Calvin Pickard will be the Avs’s back up goaltender for the upcoming season. This deal gets Berra’s $1.5 million contract off the books and replaces it with a cap hit of almost half that at $925,000, opening up space for looming RFA contracts and potential UFA acquisitions. However, it leaves a hole in goaltending for San Antonio unless Spencer Martin has made significant strides during the off-season.