Ducks Acquire Visnovsky from Oilers for Whitney

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they have acquired defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Ryan Whitney and a sixth round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. In 56 games this season with the Oilers, Visnovsky has 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points. In 605 career NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers, he has 88 goals and 254 assists for 342 points. Whitney has four goals and 24 assists for 28 points in 62 games this season with the Ducks. This is a decent move for Anaheim, as Whitney was not able to live up to the team’s offensive expectations of him. Visnovsky brings lots of offensive depth and goal-scoring skill to the Ducks blueline, especially on the power play. With the possibility that Scott Niedermayer could retire this summer, Visnovsky is insurance that the Ducks will still have a number one defenseman on their team next season. Whitney has decent offensive skill on the blueline, but has not been able to repeat his success of past season in Pittsburgh. Perhaps a change of scenery will help Whitney improve his production.