Oilers Acquire Vandermeer from Coyotes for O'Sullivan

The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they have acquired defenseman Jim Vandermeer from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for left wing Patrick O'Sullivan. Both players were placed on waivers yesterday and cleared today before the trade was made. The Coyotes are expected to buy out O'Sullivan's contract, while the Oilers will retain Vandermeer. In 62 games last season with the Coyotes, Vandermeer had four goals and eight assists for 12 points and 60 penalty minutes. O'Sullivan appeared in 73 games with the Oilers last season, scoring 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points. This is essentially a salary dumping trade for both teams. The Oilers will save about $1 million by trading away O'Sullivan and acquiring Vandermeer, while the Coyotes will buy out O'Sullivan for close to $1 million and end up cutting out $2 million in salary. Vandermeer will bring plenty of veteran, defensive depth to the Oilers blueline next season, as well as plenty of toughness. Despite having a lackluster year in 2009-10, O'Sullivan still has some offensive upside and could be a decent fit for the right price on a team seeking depth down the wing.