Bruins Acquire Brian Rolston, Mike Mottau from NY Islanders

The Boston Bruins have announced that they have acquired left wing Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau from the New York Islanders in exchange for right wing Yannick Riendeau and defenseman Marc Cantin. Rolston and Mottau will both be unrestricted free agents this summer, while Riendeau will qualify for restricted free agency. Cantin still has two years left on his current deal. In 49 games so far this season, Rolston has four goals and five assists for nine points, while Mottau has two assists in 29 games. He missed 24 games this season due to a concussion. This will be Rolston's second stint with the Bruins, where he played from 2000 to 2004. Riendeau appeared in 18 games with Providence of the AHL, scoring three goals and three assists for six points. He also played in 30 games with Reading of the ECHL, scoring nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points. Cantin was held pointless in 19 games with Providence, but scored one goal and five assists for six points in 16 games with Reading. Both Riendeau and Cantin have yet to appear in an NHL game.

Not a bad depth move for the Bruins, as Rolston and Mottau will add plenty of veteran depth to their lineup. Both players could give the team a little bit of a boost as they head into the playoffs. As for the Islanders, they've added a couple of young players to replace some impending free agents who were likely not going to be re-signed in the off-season. While neither Riendeau or Cantin are stellar players, they could potentially see some NHL action in the future.

NY Islanders Acquire Brian Rolston from Devils for Trent Hunter

The New York Islanders have announced that they have acquired left wing Brian Rolston from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for right wing Trent Hunter. Rolston has one year left on his contract, while Hunter has two years left on his current deal. In 65 games last season with the Devils, Rolston had 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points. He missed 14 games last December with a sports hernia. Hunter appeared in 17 games last season with the Islanders, scoring one goal and three assists for four points. He missed the last 61 games of the season with a torn left MCL. This move is really all about salary for both teams. For the Islanders, they add some salary in Rolston to help them get closer to the salary floor. He will also bring some offensive depth and veteran experience to the team. Adding Hunter gives the Devils a cheaper contract than Rolston's and gives them some extra salary cap space, which they used to help re-sign Zach Parise. It looks as if the Devils have no intentions of keeping Hunter, as GM Lou Lamoriello placed him and Colin White on waivers on Monday and stated he would buy out both contracts if the players went unclaimed. Both players went unclaimed yesterday and could be bought out soon, which would make them unrestricted free agents. More than likely Hunter will be bought out, which will give the Devils a little more salary cap space to possibly make moves during the rest of the off-season and during the 2011-12 season.