Original Bull Jordan Clendenning and three others have been sent to the Utah Grizzles.
It started Tuesday morning with an ominous tweet from San Francisco Bulls President and Head Coach Pat Curcio:
Some really tuff decisions made this morning. I hope our fans understand we are doing what we feel is best for the SFBULLS Go Bulls Go!!
— Pat Curcio (@CurcioSFBulls) March 5, 2013
It was the first sign, not only that change was afoot, but that the team’s fan base wasn’t going to like it.
News finally broke just a day before the Bulls return to the Cow Palace after a six-game road-stand: Sources confirm that Jordan Clendenning, Sebastian Trudeau, Jonathan Lessard and Cody Carlson were traded to Utah for Kory Falite and Mark Isherwood. Ian Schultz, who was re-assigned by Montreal, completes the seven-player deal.
In trading center Clendenning, San Francisco loses a player with a larger impact than his 19 points (4 goals, 15 assists) or 5-foot-11 frame might suggest.
One of the last original Bulls, Clendenning is a scrapper, digging his way into the boards for the puck and never afraid to mix it up. Clendenning’s six fights for the Bulls this season include two game misconducts.
Falite, a 5-foot-10 forward, has tallied 11 goals and 21 assists in 59 games for Utah this season, while defenseman Isherwood brings along 5 goals and 17 assists.
The more-physical Schultz (156 PIM in 40 games) also boasts one of the better plus-minus ratings on the Grizzlies at -3.
It’s not as though trades and roster shift are new to the hockey franchise. In fact, changes in the team were something of a highlight in the two weeks that the Bulls were on the road.
But of all the shifts made, this was the only one that warranted a somber Twitter shout-out. And quite possibly, pre-emptive damage control.
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