Mon, Jun 30, 2014 at 12:15pm

THOMPSON TO DUCKS AS BOLTS SHED PAYROLL

The Anaheim Ducks acquired center Nate Thompson from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a fourth-round draft in 2015 and a seventh-round draft pick in 2015.

What does it give the Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim's center overhaul continues. At the recent NHL Draft they acquired veteran star pivot {P Ryan Kesler}, and now they get a key role player in Thompson. While he won't put up big scoring numbers, Thompson is a gritty locker-room leader who wins face-offs and kills penalties. Expect him to slot in as Anaheim's fourth-line regular, especially with {P Saku Koivu} not expected to return.

What does it give the Tampa Bay Lightning
The salary slashing continues for Tampa Bay. After recently jettisoning the contracts of {P Teddy Purcell} and {P B.J. Crombeen}, here they drop Thompson's deal as well (which has three years left at $1.6 million per season). These deals still leave Tampa Bay with one of the NHL's heftiest payrolls for next season, but they at least get some breathing room heading into free agency.

Fantasy impact
Thompson isn't much of a fantasy factor (except in deep leagues that reward face-offs and shorthanded stats). He should continue to produce at the same level with Anaheim as he did with Tampa Bay. His departure could mean more minutes for young Bolts centers {P Cedric Paquette} and {P Vladislav Namestnikov}, but neither of the latter should be seen as fantasy contributors for 2014-15.