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.

Ducks Acquire Defenseman Whitney from Penguins

The Anaheim Ducks announced on Thursday that they have acquired defenseman Ryan Whitney from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for left wing Chris Kunitz and prospect forward Eric Tangradi. The move comes after weeks of speculation that the Penguins were prepared to move Whitney, who has struggled since returning recently from a foot injury, and that they were seeking a scoring winger to play with Sidney Crosby. In 28 games so far this season, Whitney has two goals and 11 assists for 13 points. Kunitz, who has played the last four seasons in Anaheim, has 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 62 games so far this season. Tangradi signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Ducks in December and has played all season with Belleville of the OHL, where he has 38 goals and 87 points in 52 games. This move is good for both teams. Whitney will bring plenty of speed and offensive skill to the Ducks' blueline, especially on the power play. The Ducks have been sliding through the standings in the Western Conference and are currently out of the playoffs. Rumors have been running rampant that the Ducks might trade Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer by the trade deadline to bring in some young talent to rebuild with. With Pronger and Whitney the only two defensemen signed through next season, excluding prospects Brendan Mikkelson and Brian Salcido, it would make little sense for the Ducks to trade Pronger. With the prospect that Niedermayer could retire and no certainty that Francois Beauchemin, and impending free agent, will be back, it would be a death blow at this point for the Ducks to move Pronger, unless they got a really sweet deal. Their best course of action is to wait until summer and see what happens with Niedermayer and Beauchemin before moving Pronger. As for the Penguins, Kunitz should provide plenty of offensive skill on their first line with Crosby and Malkin. In fact, Kunitz could see his numbers increase playing with those two. Tangradi gives the Penguins another skillful prospect forward from which they can use to retool their team in the future.