Thrashers Acquire Dvorak from Panthers for Bergfors, Rissmiller

In the first trade on Trade Deadline Day, the Atlanta Thrashers have acquired right wing Radek Dvorak from the Florida Panthers in exchange for right wing Niclas Bergfors and left wing Patrick Rissmiller. Dvorak and Rissmiller will be unrestricted free agents this summer, while Bergfors will be eligible for restricted free agency. In 53 games with the Panthers, Dvorak has seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points. Bergfors has 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 52 games with the Thrashers, while Rissmiller has no points on only one game. He has spent the majority of the season with Lake Erie of the AHL. This trade works for both teams. Dvorak brings plenty of two-way skill, lots of experience on the penalty kill, and veteran offensive depth to the Thrashers as they make a push for the playoffs. The Panthers get a young scorer in Bergfors to help them in their rebuilding process. Despite struggling in Atlanta this season, he has plenty of offensive potential and could become a steady scorer for Florida. Rissmiller brings veteran offensive depth down the wing, but could continue to play in the minors for the rest of the season, depending on how many players the Panthers deal throughout the day.

EDIT

The Thrashers also acquired a fifth round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft from the Panthers in the trade.

Blackhawks Walk Away from Niemi, Blues Re-Sign Johnson, Islanders Buy Out Witt

Here are some of the top stories in the NHL for August 2, 2010:

• The Chicago Blackhawks have walked away from an arbitrator's one-year, $2.75 million contract handed out to goaltender Antti Niemi. He is now an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any team. To replace Niemi, the Blackhawks have signed free agent goaltender Marty Turco to a one-year contract worth $1.3 million.
• The St. Louis Blues have announced that they have re-signed defenseman Erik Johnson to a two-year contract worth $5.2 million. The deal averages out to $2.6 million per season.
• The New York Islanders have bought out the final year of defenseman Brendan Witt's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. He was set to make $3 million next season.
• The Atlanta Thrashers have announced that they have traded forward Todd White to the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Patrick Rissmiller and Donald Brashear. The Thrashers will reportedly place Brashear on waivers and buy out his contract if he clears.

Moreau, Nilsson, O' Sullivan Among More NHL Players on Waivers

On Tuesday, the following NHL players were placed on waivers with the likely purpose of buying out their contracts. The players will have until noon tomorrow to be claimed by other teams. If they go unclaimed, they will likely have their contracts bought out and become unrestricted free agents.

Donald Brashear, LW - New York Rangers
Todd Fedoruk, LW - Tampa Bay Lightning
Ethan Moreau, LW - Edmonton Oilers
Robert Nilsson, LW - Edmonton Oilers
Patrick O'Sullivan, LW - Edmonton Oilers
Nathan Oystrick, D - Anaheim Ducks
Patrick Rissmiller, LW - New York Rangers
Aaron Voros, LW - New York Rangers

Jonathan Cheechoo, Ales Kotalik, Ville Koistinen, Petteri Nokelainen, and Jim Vandermeer all cleared waivers from yesterday and are now eligible to be bought out by their clubs. It really comes as no surprise that the Oilers have placed Moreau, Nilsson, and O'Sullivan on waivers with the purpose of buying out their contracts, as the Oilers stated their intentions to do so earlier this month. I would be surprised if any of these players were claimed off waivers, as any team interested in them is better off waiting until their contracts are bought out and then signing them to new, more affordable deals.