Staal, Ribeiro among draft day trades

[ThomasTomasz]

The Anaheim Ducks have traded defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky to the New York Islanders on Friday for a second-round pick in the 2013 Draft.

In 49 games with the Ducks this season, Visnovsky has scored five goals and added 22 assists.

The 35-year-old blueliner was in his third season with the Ducks after having been acquired from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline in 2010 for a package that included defenceman Ryan Whitney.

Visnovsky's had his best offensive season in 2010-11, his first full year with the Ducks, where he tied his career goal output with 18 and set a high with 50 assists and 68 points. He was also a career high plus-18 rating.

The Topolcany, Slovakia native was drafted in the fourth round, 118th overall of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He has scored 116 goals and 329 assists in 752 career NHL games with the Kings, Oilers and Ducks.

Visnovsky has one season remaining on his contract which will pay him $3 million next season, while his contract carries a cap hit of $5.6 million.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=399011

The Dallas Stars have traded forward Mike Ribeiro to the Washington Capitals for forward Cody Eakin and a second-round pick (54th overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft.

The 32-year-old Ribeiro had 18 goals and 45 assists in 74 games last season.

The veteran of 12 NHL campaigns will be joining his third NHL team. He spent six seasons with the Montreal Canadiens and another six with the Stars.

Ribeiro will be paid $5 million next season in the final year of a five-year, $25 million contract.

Eakin played in 30 games last season in his rookie campaign, with four goals and four assists. He also played 43 games in the AHL with the Hershey Bears.

Eakin was Washington's third round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. He has two years remaining on his entry-level contract.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=399013

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Two of the Staal brothers are being reunited in Carolina.

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded centre Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes on Friday for centre Brandon Sutter, the No. 8 pick in 2012 draft and defenceman Brian Dumoulin.

Pittsburgh then selected defenceman Derrick Pouliot of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks with the first-round pick.

Staal will be joining his older brother Eric, the captain of the Hurricanes.

"Jordan is an elite two-way player who possesses a rare combination of speed, size, scoring ability and defensive responsibility," said Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford in a statement. "For his young age, he has a wealth of NHL experience, including winning the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009.

"And he is obviously a natural fit for our team in joining our captain, his older brother Eric."

Jordan Staal has 120 goals and 128 assists in 431 regular-season games with Pittsburgh. He has a career plus-53 rating.

The Penguins selected Staal in the first round, second overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

"He's still only 24 years old. He's got upside yet," Rutherford told the Canadian Press. "I think it's a great fit."

Rutherford also said he didn't talk to Eric about the deal.

Sutter has 53 goals and 54 assists in 286 games with the Hurricanes.

"We want to thank Brandon Sutter for his time in Carolina," said Rutherford. "He has been a very good player for our team, and we wish both Brandon and Brian the best as their careers continue."

Dumoulin has yet to play at the professional level. He's scored 11 goals and added 72 assists for Boston College.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=399017

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded defenceman Zbynek Michalek to the Phoenix Coyotes on Friday in exchange for defenceman Harrison Ruopp, goalie Marc Cheverie, and a third-round pick (81st overall) in the 2012 Draft.

The 29-year-old Michalek returns to Phoenix, where he spent five NHL seasons before signing as an unrestricted free agent with Pittsburgh in the summer of 2010. Michalek scored two goals and 11 assists in 62 games for the Penguins last season. He lost 10 games to a broken finger and another 10 to a concussion.

Michalek was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Wild, and played 22 games for them in 2003-04 before eventually being traded to the Coyotes.

Ruopp was a third-round pick of the Coyotes at last year's draft. The 19-year-old played for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League last season.

Cheverie, 25, split his time last season between Gwinnett of the ECHL and the Portland Pirates of the AHL. He was traded from the Florida Panthers organization to Phoenix at the beginning of last season.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=399048

Pens got a good deal for Staal, though I imagine the Canes will get him locked up in short order to make that deal worth it for them. I also like the Caps move to acquire Ribeiro, as that provides them with a great second line center behind Backstrom, a weakness in the past couple seasons.