Devils Acquire Havelid

The trading season finally has a little swirl from the storm get some landfall, as the New Jersey Devils acquired Niclas Havelid from the Atlanta Thrashers for a younger defenseman, Anssi Salmela. This definitely looks to be the case for adding some veteran talent for a young prospect and it's rare that it happens straight-up, but here it is.

Nothing here should come as a surprise, as the Devils want to be a little more savvy down the stretch and the Thrashers want to build on a young base. This looks like a decent deal for both sides, as Havelid will be a UFA at the end of the year and Salmela will be restricted. The blueline for Jersey has improved without spending Chris Pronger-esque money... good move.

			2008-2009 Statistics		2009	2010
To New Jersey	Position	Age	GP/MIN	Points	Cap Hit	Cap Hit
Niclas Havelid	D	35	63	15	$2.7 million	UFA
			2008-2009 Statistics		2009	2010
To Atlanta	Position	Age	GP/MIN	Points	Cap Hit	Cap Hit
Anssi Samela	D	24	17	3	$563,000	RFA

In the world of fantasy pools, Niclas Havelid wasn't taken in the Draft, but he is in the Sheet. Havelid is a Box 28 occupant, but he certainly isn't the best player in that Box at the moment. His move to Jersey likely won't make him into the best player in the Box either, so, don't get be in a big hurry to use your last Sheet trade here. Havelid could help the Devils in their own end, so you may want to consider Martin Brodeur again.