Miners acquire Tierney and Kuemper from Gillam for picks.

 Miners acquire Tierney and Kuemper from Gillam for picks.

CANADIAN PRESS (Sudbury, ON):

The Sudbury Miners and the newly relocated Gillam Sharks made a move early Thursday morning as the Sharks sent pending RFA forward Chris Tierney and goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Sudbury in exchange for a 4th round, 7th round and a 12th round pick – all in 2018.

In looking at the current roster make-up of the Miners, Tierney will slot into the #3 or #4 center role, while Kuemper will provide some goaltending insurance for both Fredrick Andersen and Jake Allen.

“We needed a little depth at center, particularly in our 3rd line/4th line center spot, and we think Tierney can fill that nicely for us.  We are happy to get another young, developing player in him.  He is ahead of the curve when it comes to defense over most players his own age.  He will be a nice asset”, stated General Manager Terry James.

Tierney was originally drafted in the 2012 CCHL Entry Draft (87th overall) by the now defunct Winnipeg Ferrets.   In 79 games this year with the Halifax Hammerheads, Tierney saw action in 79 games, contributing 9 goals and 8 assists for 17 points.   In 5 playoff games, Tierney would get on the scoresheet with a single tally.  He is seen as a young player who has a very good two-way ability and can chip in with a few goals from the bottom six.  He owns excellent hockey sense and can be an asset in all three zones, especially on the penalty kill.

In Kuemper, the Miners solidify their goaltending rotation for the next few seasons.   While the days of Kuemper developing into a starting goaltender have passed, he can provide relief for short periods of time and is an ideal back-up.  His salary is less than $2 million per year, which provides good value going forward.

The classic butterfly goaltender is an excellent puck-handler and uses his huge frame and butterfly style to full effect when filling the net.   However, at times, he needs to do a better job when challenging a shooter and can go into his butterfly a bit too quick at times.  He has also been known to get caught out of position when out to handle the puck, despite this being an asset for him.