Hurricanes Acquire Jokinen from Lightning

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Saturday that they have acquired left wing Jussi Jokinen from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for left wing Wade Brookbank, defenseman Josef Melichar, and Carolina's 4th round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft. Jokinen had been placed on waivers by the Lightning the day before and went unclaimed, despite rumors that a team was interested in claiming him. In 46 games this season with the Lightning, Jokinen has six goals and 10 assists for 16 points. Brookbank has played in 27 games so far this season, scoring one goal, while Melichar has played in 15 games, scoring four assists. This is a good move by the Hurricanes, as Jokinen has plenty of offensive potential despite his low totals this season. Despite the fact that most of the Lightning players are struggling offensively this season, the team became too impatient and didn't give Jokinen much of a chance to prove his skills. He had recently fallen off their depth chart and therefore became expendable. Look for Jokinen's offense to improve playing with the likes of Eric Staal, Rod Brind'Amour, Ray Whitney, Justin Williams, and Sergei Samsonov. The only thing puzzling about this trade is that the Hurricanes actually traded for Jokinen when they could have grabbed him off waivers for nothing. As for the circus that is the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brookbank will provide toughness to the offense, while Melichar will bring veteran defensive depth to the young, anemic blueline.