Oilers Send Staios to Calgary

			2009/2010 NHL Statistics
To Calgary	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	2010 Cap Hit	2011 Cap Hit
Steve Staios	Defenseman	36	40	0	7	$2.7 million	$2.7 million
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To Edmonton	Position	Age	GP	Goals	Points	2010 Cap Hit	2011 Cap Hit
Aaron Johnson	Defenseman	26	22	1	3	$540,000	UFA
3rd Round Draft Pick

In the strangest historic deal of the day, the Oilers and Flames ended up making the first trade between the two clubs in their long-standing history together. The Flames ended up acquiring Steve Staios to help anchor their ailing blueline for a younger, unproven defenseman Aaron Johnson and a 3rd round pick.

Staios will be used to help the Flames' defensive posture in front of Miikka Kiprusoff, which has been troublesome in recent games. Staios isn't considered much of an offensive talent, which is definitely shown in his numbers this season, he'll just be paid to play some defense.

Johnson was a pick-up by the Flames in October to help bolster the depth of the club on the blueline, being given a chance to breakthrough as a top six defender. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to take on a solid role in the season, quickly becoming a healthy scratch for the Flames. With some moves out of Edmonton during the deadline, I would imagine that Johnson will get some minutes with the Oilers.

Since this is the last deal that involves roster players for the Flames, it really brings into question some of their cap concerns. According to capgeek.com, the Flames are indeed in good shape, with room to spare. That's pretty solid on their part for sure. They made a lot of moves this year. Staios also brings with him another year on his deal at $2.7 million, which adds to an already stacked up cap number for next season. The Flames are currently sitting at $52.4 million for 16 players, which is only $4.3 million (if the cap stays the same next season) for seven players. That's going to be some kind of depth.

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