Hurricanes Acquire Bryan Allen from Panthers for Sergei Samsonov

The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that they have acquired defenseman Bryan Allen from the Florida Panthers in exchange for left wing Sergei Samsonov. Allen still has one more year left on his current contract, while Samsonov will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. In 53 games this season with the Panthers, Allen has four goals and eight assists for 12 points and 63 penalty minutes, while Samsonov has 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 58 games. Not a bad move for the Hurricanes, as Allen will bring some much-needed shutdown skill to the team's blueline. He also has lots of size and plays with plenty of toughness, so he should be a good fit for Carolina. In Samsonov, the Panthers add some offensive depth to their forward lines, but this move is a salary dumping trade for them in getting rid of Allen. Samsonov likely won't be retained over the summer unless he has a good finish to the season.