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 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). 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. - See more at: http://bsndenver.com/avalanche-trade-g-reto-berra-for-f-rocco-grimaldi/
