NY Islanders Sign Marty Reasoner to Two-Year Deal

The New York Islanders have announced that they have signed center Marty Reasoner to a two-year contract worth $2.7 million. The deal will average out to $1.35 million per season. In all 82 games last season with the Florida Panthers, he had 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points. This is a good signing for the Islanders, as Reasoner will provide lots of veteran depth to the team. He's a decent checking center with some passing skill who should be an excellent fit for the Islanders.

Panthers Acquire Marty Reasoner from Blackhawks for Jeff Taffe

The Florida Panthers have announced that they have acquired center Marty Reasoner from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for left wing Jeff Taffe. The Blackhawks originally acquired Reasoner from the Atlanta Thrashers on June 24 in the Dustin Byfuglien trade. In 80 games last season with the Thrashers, Reasoner had four goals and 13 assists for 17 points. Taffe played in 21 games last season with the Panthers, scoring one goal and one assist. He also appeared in 61 games with Rochester of the AHL, scoring 28 goals and 28 assists for 56 points. Not a bad move for the Panthers, as Reasoner will bring some experience at center and skill to the checking lines. For the Blackhawks, it's another salary dumping trade, as they will free up $1.15 million, which will likely go toward re-signing goaltender Antti Niemi. Taffe doesn't really have a lot of upside at the NHL level and could play much of next season in the minors. If he does play any games with the Blackhawks, it will likely be on their fourth line.

Blackhawks Trade Byfuglien, Sopel to Thrashers in Multi-Player Deal

The Atlanta Thrashers announced early Thursday that they have acquired left wing Dustin Byfuglien, defenseman Brent Sopel, left wing Ben Eager, and prospect right wing Akim Aliu from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for center Marty Reasoner, prospect left wing Jeremy Morin, right wing Joey Crabb, and the 24th and 54th overall picks in the 2010 Entry Draft. The two picks Chicago gets in the deal were acquired from New Jersey in the trade that sent Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils. In all 82 games last season with the Blackhawks, Byfuglien had 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points and 94 penalty minutes. He also added 11 goals and five assists for 16 points in 22 playoff games. Sopel had one goal and seven assists for eight points in 73 games, while Eager had seven goals and nine assists for 16 points and 120 penalty minutes in 60 games. Aliu had 11 goals and six assists for 17 points in 48 games with Rockford of the AHL. He also appeared in 13 games with Toledo of the ECHL, scoring five goals and nine assists for 14 points.

Reasoner appeared in 80 games with the Thrashers last season, scoring four goals and 13 assists for 17 points. Morin played in 58 games with Kitchener of the OHL, scoring 47 goals and 36 assists for 83 points, while Crabb had 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points in 79 games with Chicago of the AHL.

It's not a bad move for both teams. The Thrashers get a decent forward in Byfuglien, who can also play defense. He has plenty of offensive potential and can play a little physical. Sopel will give Atlanta some veteran depth on the blueline, while Eager brings some toughness to the team. They get a decent prospect in Aliu, who has some scoring potential and some toughness. For the Blackhawks, it is essentially a salary dumping trade, as they are currently operating at the salary cap ceiling and still have to re-sign Antti Niemi, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Andrew Ladd, who has been the subject of trade rumors recently. Adding Marty Reasoner gives the team an experienced center, while Jeremy Morin gives the Blackhawks a talented prospect forward. Crabb is an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and it remains to be seen if the Blackhawks have any plans on signing him. The two draft picks will give the team an opportunity to add more future talent to the organization. This trade will free up about $4 million in cap space for the Blackhawks, which will give them some relief, but they may have to move some more salary to comfortably fit all their players under the salary cap.

Thrashers Sign Reasoner to Contract Extension

The Atlanta Thrashers announced on Monday that they have re-signed center Marty Reasoner to a two-year contract extension worth $2.3 million. The deal averages out to $1.15 million per season. He would have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. In 79 games last season with the Thrashers, Reasoner scored 14 goals, a career high, and 16 assists for 30 points. In 544 career games, he has 78 goals and 128 assists for 206 points with the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, and Thrashers. This is a great, affordable signing for the Thrashers, as Reasoner is an excellent two-way center who is great on the penalty kill. He has also developed a bit of a leadership role in the team's locker room, which will be invaluable to the Thrashers young players next season. It wouldn't surprise me if Reasoner becomes of the Thrashers' leaders on the ice next season.