The Carolina Hurricanes re-acquired veteran defenseman Aaron Ward, a key member of the 2006 Stanley Cup championship team, from the Boston Bruins on Friday in exchange for right winger Patrick Eaves and a fourth-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft.
The Bruins then put Eaves on waivers for the purpose of buying him out.
"With this trade, our defense really takes shape," Hurricanes General Manager Jim Rutherford said. "Aaron played very well during his time in Carolina and had maintained that consistency with New York and Boston. We envision him complementing Joni Pitkanen well as a defensive pairing."
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For Boston, the trade might have been anticipated because the Bruins have three minor-league defensemen who will compete for an NHL job this September at training camp, Johnny Boychuk, Jeff Penner and Adam McQuaid.
Boychuk, 25, was named the AHL Defenseman of the Year (Eddie Shore Award) after leading AHL defensemen in scoring with 20 goals and 63 points in 73 games. He was held pointless in one game with the Bruins. Boychuk was the Colorado Avalanche's second-round pick, No. 61 in the 2002 Entry Draft. He played four games for the Avalanche late in the 2007-08 season. Boychuk added three goals and eight points in 16 Calder Cup Playoff games this past spring.
Penner, 22, and a cousin of Edmonton Oilers forward Dustin Penner, is younger with the same skill set Boychuk exhibited last season. He's been a winner and an All-Star everywhere he has been. He played Junior B hockey in his native Manitoba and was an All-Star, then spent one year with University of Alaska-Anchorage where he finished second among defenseman in scoring. Penner had 10 goals and 28 points during the regular season and really came up big in the playoffs with five goals and 11 points in 16 games.
McQuaid is a stay-at-home defenseman and a fairly big one at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. He had four goals and 11 assists last season, with 141 penalty minutes. McQuaid was Mark Staal's defensive partner with the Sudbury Wolves and has two years professional experience under his belt. He's a banger, but the Bruins have a similarly sized one in Mark Stuart, so McQuaid is likely to spend another year in Providence.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=451303There you go, mmonk! :)
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