Meszaros has shuffled in and out of the lineup all season, but had recently been one of the Flyers best defensemen. Mez has five goals and 12 assists (17 points) in 38 games and goes to a team with a bunch of injuries on the blueline.
The Panthers send Thomas who is set to be free agent in the summer to the Stars for Ellis who is signed through next season for $900,000. Ellis will go from Kari Lehtonen's backup to Roberto Luongo's backup. In Dallas he was 5-6-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .900 SV%.
The Stars acquire the veteran netminder to push Kari Lehtonen for starts. Lehtonen is a skilled goaltender, but has been in consistent throughout his career. Adding Thomas gives the Stars two strong goaltending options as they push for a playoff spot. Thomas was 16-20-3 with a 2.87 GAA and .909 SV% with the Panthers.
Schultz, 31, is a defensive defenseman who addresses the need for a D-man following the injuries to Ryan Murray and Fedor Tyutin on the Blue Jackets bllueline. Schultz averaged 16:58 TOI while posting no goals and four assists with a minus-11 rating in 60 games with the Oilers.
Loktionov, 23, is a former Los Angeles King who was in his second season with the Devils. He had recorded four goals and eight assists (12 points) in 48 games with New Jersey this season.
Ruutu, 31, has two years left in a deal with an annual cap-hit of $4.75 million US. Ruutu is not the fastest player and he joins one of the slowest teams in the NHL. Ruutu had five goals and 11 assists with a minus-19 rating with the Hurricanes. A change of scenery might be able to revitalize Ruutu.
Goc is an underrated centreman who is a top-tier third/fourth line centre (if that exists). This trade likely means that the Penguins are out of the Ryan Kesler sweepstakes. Goc had 11 goals and 12 assists (23 points) in 62 games with Florida. Goc is an unrestricted free-agent at the end of the year.
Frattin was traded to the Kings in the Jonathan Bernier deal along with the second-round pick that is also heading to the Blue Jackets. He has two goals and four assists in 40 games with the Kings this season.
The Kings have struggled to score this season, so acquiring Gaborik should help that problem. Gaborik is a dynamic scorer, but has missed the majority of the year with injuries. He has six goals and eight assists (14 points) in 22 games this season. He will head to the Kings and could find himself on a line with Anze Kopitar.
Deslauriers, 23, was a third-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He is a 6-foot, 230 lbs. defenseman who has 18 goals and 21 assists (39 points) in 60 games with Manchester (AHL) this season. He has yet to make his NHL debut.
Fasching, 18, was a fourth-round pick (118th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He is a 6-foot-2, 213 lbs. winger who has 12 goals and 15 assists (27 points) in 31 games with the University of Minnesota. He had an excellent tournament with Team USA at the World Juniors this season.
McNabb, 23, was selected in the third round (66th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He is a 6-foot-4, 205 lbs. defenseman who has seven goals and 22 assists (29 points) in 38 games with the Rochester Americans (AHL) this season. He has failed to record a point in 12 games with the Sabres.
Dubnyk cleared waivers a few days ago, but has now been sent to the Habs as insurance. This deal has Carey Price owners and Habs fans worried about how serious Price's lower-body injury is. Dubnyk will likely serve as Peter Budaj's backup until Price is ready to go.
Hemsky has been rumoured to be traded for years, but today is finally the day. Hemsky who played very well for the Czech in the Olympics, scored two goals against the Senators last night and is now a part of the Senators team for the remainder of the season. He has a total of nine goals and 17 assists (26 points) in 55 games this season. Another aspect to this deal is the Oilers retaining 50% of Hemsky's contract.
It is a captain for captain trade, however St. Louis is signed through next season while Callahan is a pending free agent who wants a huge contract (expected to be around 6-years / $36M). He is a gritty, hard-working forward who will likely spend the rest of the season with the Lightning but not be re-signed in summer. He could also be a piece in another trade this afternoon, but should he stay with the Lightning, he could find himself replacing St. Louis on a line with Steven Stamos.
Things had gone sour with St. Louis and Lightning GM Steve Yzerman and the result was St. Louis asking for a trade. Yzerman has granted St. Louis' request by sending him to the Rangers and reuniting him with former teammate Brad Richards. Without Steven Stamkos for 45 games, St. Louis still had 29 goals and 32 assists in 62 games this season.
Brown, 23, was a second round pick (36th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In his second season with the Portland Pirates (AHL) he has scored 14 goals and 21 assists (35 points) in 51 games this season.
Klesla has found himself unclaimed on waivers on a number of occasions this season. He has not played with the Coyotes since January 14, he has four points (1G / 3A) in 25 games with Phoenix this season. While with Portland (AHL) he had three goals and six assists in 21 games. He will report Hershey (AHL).
Mitchell, 27, is a 6-foot-5, 216 lbs. forward who has never played in an NHL contest. He has three goals and three assists in 20 games with Hershey (AHL) this season. He is expected to report to Portland (AHL).
Erat made it public that he wanted to be traded earlier in the season, and his wish was granted tonight. He has a single goal (Feb 8) and 23 assists in 53 games with the Capitals this season.
