Immediately, insiders and fans thought this trade felt suspicious. Earlier in the offseason, the Flyers were rumoured to deal defenceman Anthony DeAngelo to the hurricanes, with Rizzo being the prospect in return. Instead, the Flyers bought on DeAngelo on July 15th this year, and he was soon after signed by the Hurricanes for a fraction of his previous contract.
Now, the Flyers have seemed to acquire the prospect they had desired all along, while only parting with David Kase, a 26 year old who has played the last two seasons in the Czech Republic.
It's a tidy - and a bit shady - bit of business on both the sides of the Hurricanes and Flyers. A clear quid pro quo existed, wherein the Flyers fit the bill for DeAngelo's contract buyout in return for Massimo Rizzo. It violates no rules of the NHL however, and in this instance, clearly benefitted both teams.