Wed, Aug 10, 2005 at 12:00pm

THIBAULT TO PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired goaltender Jocelyn Thibault from the Chicago Blackhawks for a fourth-round draft pick in 2006.

What does it give the Pittsburgh Penguins
Spurned by veteran Sean Burke, the Penguins decided to fill their goalie hole via the trade route. In Thibault, they acquire a solid veteran puck-stopper who is still young enough to be a starter (unlike Burke). However, he's also a solid team guy (like Burke), and should work well with top prospect Marc-Andre Fleury. The duo may even share the load in Pittsburgh (if the latter is deemed ready). Otherwise, "T-BO" will carry the mail.

What does it give the Chicago Blackhawks
After signing Nikolai Khabibulin to a long-term contract via free agency, the 'Hawks no longer had any use for Thibault. New GM Dale Tallon's big mission heading into the off-season was to upgrade between the pipes, and he succeeded. However, a fourth-round pick is not the type of return one would have expected in a deal for a starting netminder. Welcome to the new NHL.

Fantasy impact