One Year Later: Giovanni Fiore For Trevor Murphy

Photo: NBC San Diego

By Thomas Harrington

One year ago today, the Anaheim Ducks traded winger Giovanni Fiore to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman Trevor Murphy. Similar to the Adam Cracknell trade, this was primarily a minor-league trade and one that worked out very well for the Gulls.

Fiore was an undrafted player who the Ducks signed to a three-year entry-level contract at the end of the 2016-2017 season after he recorded 90 points in 61 games in the QMJHL. It was expected that he would spend the entirety of the 2017-2018 season in San Diego. However, he had an amazing training camp and was among Anaheim’s final cuts. He was recalled to Anaheim in early October and played in one NHL game for the Ducks. Other than that, he spent the entire year with the Gulls, scoring 18 goals and 30 points in 65 games. Before his trade last season, he played in 23 games for the Gulls and scored six goals and 11 points.

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The Coyotes acquired Murphy from the Nashville Predators at the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline. He played in eight games with Arizona and scored one goal and three points. In the AHL, he played in 11 games for Tucson and scored two goals and nine points. Before being traded last season, he had scored five goals and 13 points in 27 games.

At the time of the trade, the Gulls had been struggling a lot and were looking to make changes. The moves for Cracknell and Murphy really saved San Diego’s year last season. Murphy instantly stepped in and became one of the Gulls’ top defensemen, scoring three goals and 18 points in 37 games. He was one of the major catalysts behind San Diego’s second-half turnaround and played in all 16 playoff games, scoring one goal and six points. With Tucson, Fiore played in 30 games but only scored four goals and seven points through the rest of the season. Neither team kept their new player beyond last season. Murphy has spent this entire season in the KHL, while Fiore has been in the ECHL.

A year later, it’s safe to say that Anaheim and San Diego came out on top of this deal. Even though it was only for half a season, Murphy had a huge impact on San Diego, while Fiore was never able to find his offensive game with his new team.

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December 28th, 2019