HAVLAT TO CHICAGO IN 3-WAY
In a three-way trade, the Chicago Blackhawks acquired right wing Martin Havlat and center Bryan Smolinski from the Ottawa Senators; the San Jose Sharks acquired left wing Mark Bell from Chicago; the Senators acquired defenseman Tom Preissing and cente
What does it give the Chicago Blackhawks
Havlat's contract demands wrote his ticket out of Ottawa, but the Senators' loss is Chicago's gain. It won't be long before the flashy Czech establishes himself as the go-to Blackhawk--ahead of oft-injured Finn Tuomo Ruutu. Havlat has mainly played right wing during his NHL career in Ottawa, but is also a natural center and may be tried out down the middle with his new team. Smolinski was a salary dump by Ottawa, but he could help out on the second or third line.
What does it give the San Jose Sharks
The Sharks added their missing piece with power forward Bell, who played a lot of center in Chicago. He's expected to stick as Joe Thornton's left wing in San Jose. The Sharks had enough defensive depth to sacrifice Preissing, while Hennessy was not going to crack the lineup ahead of Thornton, Patrick Marleau or Marcel Goc.
What does it give the
The Senators made this move to save salary-cap room, first and foremost. They also added four assets in exchange for two, but clearly weakened their third scoring line by dealing Havlat and Smolinski. Preissing will immediately be utilized on the power play, while Barinka and Hennessy should get the opportunity to make the club out of training camp. However, the loss of Havlat is huge, so expect more moves along the way for Ottawa.
Fantasy impact
