Commodore Moved To Tampa Bay, Edm-Min Flip Defensemen

It's about 1 p.m. now - two hours away from the deadline - and a few more moves are trickling down. Nothing major aside from the Andrei Kostitsyn trade from earlier today, but a couple of moves were just made. The Detroit Red Wings dealt defenseman Mike Commodore to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for a conditional seventh round draft pick. Also, the Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild swapped Tom Gilbert and Nick Schultz, respectively, in a move that brings both players to their home towns.

While offense is rarely a struggle for the Lightning, defense has not been up to snuff this season. While a long-term goaltender should be on the radar for GM Steve Yzerman, grabbing Commodore for a late pick is still a great move to help strengthen the group in front of the net.

Meanwhile, Schultz' 10-year tenure with the Wild comes to a close as he heads home to play for the Oilers, while his counterpart in the deal in Gilbert also goes home to Minnesota. Gilbert has some more offensive upside than Schultz, which is an area the Wild can always improve upon. And Schultz' defensive abilities will undoubtedly help as Edmonton's young scorers continue to boost the offensive side of the Oilers' game.

Setoguchi Shipped Off To Minnesota A Day After Signing New Deal

Apparently, the San Jose Sharks took a day to think about it and decided they had no interest in paying Devin Setoguchi the $9 million owed to him over the next three years, as per the terms of the new deal agreed upon between the two parties just one day ago. On the night of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the Sharks shipped Setoguchi and his new contract, as well as a this year's first round (28th overall) draft pick and last year's first round (28th overall) selection Charlie Coyle, to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Brent Burns and a second round selection in 2012.

"Brent is an elite first-pairing defenceman that is just coming into his prime," Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said in a press release. "We feel that he gives our blue line tremendous depth and versatility and will augment our existing core. He combines a dangerous offensive prowess with an abrasive presence in the defensive zone."



Burns, a 26-year old 2011 All Star, scored a whopping 17 goals last year and had 46 points overall. Both were career-highs and something that can only be improved as Burns enters the prime of his career. He will join Dan Boyle as two key blueliners capable of responsible work on both ends of the ice, though Burns brings with him the added benefit of size at 6'5", 219 pounds.

Burns enters the final year of his current contract, making $4 million in salary and counting as a $3.55 million cap hit to San Jose's payroll. It will be a priority for San Jose to get Burns inked long-term or face losing him to unrestricted free agency as early as next summer.

Setoguchi joins a lower pressure situation in Minnesota, where maybe a change of scenery can help him become a more consistent player. The Wild are always yearning for more scoring despite their defense-first mentality and Setoguchi should have little problem offering up top six forward numbers with them.

With the 28th overall pick, the Wild grabbed center Zack Phillips from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, where he played the pivot alongside third overall selection from the Florida Panthers Jonathan Huberdeau.

Koivu Inks Seven-Year Extension With Wild

 

Having already felt the burn of losing a start player just one summer ago, the Minnesota Wild were uninterested in watching another skate away. To avoid a Marian Gaborik situation with their new leader next July, General Manager Cliff Fletcher wasted little time signing franchise player Mikko Koivu to a hefty contract extension. The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Michael Russo reported late Thursday that a seven-year deal worth $47.25 million was agreed upon between player and club that will keep the 27-year old on board through the 2017-18 campaign. The actual year-by-year figures of the extension are a bit odd, but it equals an annual $6.75 million against Minnesota’s cap. Currently, Koivu has one year left on a contract that pays him $3.7 million in actual salary and counts as a $3.25 million cap hit.

"It's a milestone day in the history of the Minnesota Wild," Fletcher said in a statement from the team. "When you have your franchise player commit to you, really for the next eight seasons. He's our best hockey player. He's our captain. And he's still just 27 with his best hockey years ahead of him."

According to Russo, Koivu will be afforded a full no-movement clause and has five different signing bonuses throughout the contract that makes it quite unbalanced financially. He will earn a base salary of $5.4 million starting with the 2011-12 season and receive signing bonuses worth $1.89 million each in October 2011, October 2013, October 2014, October 2015 and January 18. As a result, the year-by-year breakdown of Koivu’s extension is as follows:

Another Year In NY For Prospal, Two More In Anaheim For Koivu, Cullen Joins Up With Minny For Three

~ Vaclav Prospal came to New York last season with something to prove after being bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He joined up with his old head coach, played with Marian Gaborik and managed to be an absolute steal at $1.15 million in cost to the Rangers by posting 20 goals and 38 assists for 58 points in 75 games. It was a no-brainer to bring him back, and General Manager Glen Sather made sure to get it done. Prospal will return on another one year contract for a what will be a base salary of $1 million with $1.1 in what The New York Post's Larry Brooks calls "easily achievable bonuses." At 35 years old, he's still holding up pretty well and provides a good veteran presence for a team looking to get younger. He's a character guy, great leader and still strong offensively. And, he came cheap yet again. Great re-signing.

~ Saku Koivu clearly had a good time last year in his first season out of Montreal. He's coming back to the Anaheim Ducks on a two-year deal worth $2.5 million per season. the 35-year old Finnish center is coming off a campaign with 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points in 71 games. That's pretty much what the Ducks are going to get out of Koivu offensively going forward, and always have his strong leadership skills to boot.

~ The Ottawa Senators wanted to keep him around, but that wasn't to be and now Minnesota will reep the benefits of responsible, two-way play from 33-year old center Matt Cullen. Cullen heads to his sixth NHL franchise in 12 seasons and will earn $10.5 million over three years with the Wild. Cullen is very dependable player who can go in all situations. He isn't the most dynamic offensive player, but he is a 15- to 20-goal scorer and 30 assist guy. In Minnesota, he will likely play No. 2 center duties behind Mikko Koivu.