Sharks Acquire Dominic Moore from Lightning

The San Jose Sharks have announced that they have acquired center Dominic Moore and a seventh round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a second round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. The second round pick was obtained by the Sharks from the Minnesota Wild in the multi-player deal that involved Devin Setoguchi and Brent Burns this past off-season. Moore, who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, has four goals and 16 assists for 20 points in 58 games so far this season. Not a bad pick-up for the Sharks, as Moore will provide some stability at center on the checking lines. He's excellent on faceoffs, has plenty of skill on the penalty kill, and plays with some grit. He should be a solid addition for the team as they inch closer to the playoffs.

Lightning Add Roy, Vernace, Moore, Re-Sign Mihalik

The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that they have signed defensemen Mathieu Roy and Michael Vernace to one-year, two-way contracts and center Dominic Moore to a two-year contract. The team also announced that they have re-signed defenseman Vladimir Mihalik to a one-year, two-way contract. Moore, who is a hard worker on the ice, will bring plenty of two-way skill to the team's forward lines. Mihalik isn't a bad defensive depth signing, as he has tremendous size and strength and has the potential to become a shutdown defenseman. Roy and Vernace are really just depth signings for the Lightning and will likely spend most of next season in the minors.

Canadiens Acquire Moore from Panthers

The Montreal Canadiens announced yesterday that they have acquired center Dominic Moore from the Florida Panthers in exchange for their second round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. This trade marks the first move by the Canadiens' newly-appointed general manager Pierre Gauthier, who took over the role this past week when Bob Gainey stepped down. In 48 games this season with the Panthers, Moore has eight goals and nine assists for 17 points. He was signed as a free agent by the Panthers on October 4. In 353 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, and Florida Panthers, he has 43 goals and 74 assists for 117 points. This is not a terrible depth move by the Canadiens, as Moore should be a decent fill-in while Andrei Kostitsyn, Mike Cammalleri, and Benoit Pouliot recover from injuries. Moore will bring plenty of offensive depth to the team's third line. What I am surprised with in this move, however, is what the Canadiens gave up to land him. A second round draft pick seems kind of steep for a player has struggled to live up to the offensive numbers he put up when he was with the Maple Leafs. To me, a third round pick is probably the most the Canadiens should have given up for Moore and they probably gave up a little too much to land him. The Panthers walk away winners in this deal, as they likely would not have re-signed Moore this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Sabres Acquire Moore from Maple Leafs

The Buffalo Sabres added some depth at center by acquiring center Dominic Moore from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Carolina's 2nd round draft pick in 2009, which was previously acquired. Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke tried for most of the afternoon to re-sign the impending free agent, but was unable to do so. In a breakout season, Moore has 12 goals and 29 assists for 41 points in 63 games. It's too bad the Leafs couldn't get Moore re-signed, as he has been a great player for them all season, but it's still a possibility he could re-sign with the team once free agency begins on July 1. Moore will bring lots of grittiness and offensive skill to the Sabres up the middle, especially on the power play.