With training camp underway and the regular season set to kick off on Saturday, lets take a look at some news and notes around the NHL the past few days.
The Carolina Hurricanes were busy on Sunday as they dealt backup goaltender Brian Boucher, back to the Philadelphia Flyers, then signed a new backup netminder, Dan Ellis, formerly of the Anaheim Ducks.
Wait….there’s more! The Hurricanes also added some much needed toughness by acquiring winger Kevin Westgarth from the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Anthony Stewart, a fourth-round draft pick in 2013 and a sixth-round pick in 2014. Seems like a lot to give up for an enforcer, but the Hurricanes can use a player like Westgarth, who is also great in the locker room. Stewart struggled last season in Carolina, so it’s not a bad deal for them. For the Kings, it’s solid asset management for a player like Westgarth, who would not have even made the team this year or at the the very least would be a healthy scratch every game.
The Vancouver Canucks added some depth to their backend, by signing unrestricted free agent defensemen Cam Barker and Jim Vandermeer.
The Flyers, in addition to re-acquiring Boucher in net, as mentioned above, also added some depth to their blueline with the signing of free agent defenseman Kurtis Foster.
The Edmonton Oilers, looking to add some depth to their defensive corps as well, acquired defenseman Mark Fistric from the Dallas Stars for a third-round pick in 2013.
We’ll have our previews and predictions for the upcoming season this week on sportsbreakthrough.com and don’t forget to tune into Breakthrough Sports on am1010 in Phoenix and online at sportsbreakthrough.com this Wednesday from 2-4 AZ time for on-air analysis, previews and predictions.