Devin Shore for Sonny Milano
The trade that brought in Sonny Milano was one of the more intriguing trades Bob Murray has made in recent years. Milano was once thought to be an NHL superstar on the rise and the future of the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, the former 16th overall draft pick never really found his footing with CBJ and was pushed to the wayside.
Nevertheless, we all know how much Bob Murray loves his reclamation projects and Anaheim seemed like a good place for Milano to realize his full potential with the rebuilding team. With the Blue Jackets gearing up for the playoffs again, adding Devin Shore to their roster added some depth and defensive responsibility to their bottom-six, also filling a void in the absence of Alexander Wennberg.
Unfortunatley, neither player would appear in more than a few games for their new clubs before the NHL shutdown. When the league returned to play, Shore appeared in only 2 playoff games for the Columbus Blue Jackets despite the team making it past the Qualifying round and into Round 1 of the Stanely Cup Finals.
In free agency, the Blue Jackets would not issue Shore a qualifying offer. He would go on to sign with the Edmonton Oilers and has posted 6 points, including two goals, for his new team in 24 games this season.
Sonny Milano impressed in his debut with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring two goals in his first game. He would go on to add 5 points in 9 games before the NHL shutdown. He proved he had potential, even earning a new contract over the summer, but there are areas he needs to show improvement, particularly his transition play.
Fans had high hopes for the 24-year-old going into the 2020-21 season. However, there has been a big problem. Milano has been unable to stay healthy this season, appearing in just 6 games with the Anaheim Ducks (with 0 points.) He played in the opening to games, found himself injured, had a conditioning stint in San Diego, and returned for four games before he found himself back on IR. It is speculated that he could be out for the rest of the season.