The Atlanta Thrashers have traded defenceman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for blueliner Anssi Salmela.
The 35-year-old Havelid is heading to his third NHL team in nine seasons, including five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks who drafted him in the 3rd round (83rd overall) in 1999.
Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Stockholm, Sweden native has two goals and 13 assists with a plus- 4 rating in 63 games this season.
In 613 career games in the NHL, Havelid has 34 goals and 133 assists with a minus- 29 rating.
Havelid's resume also includes being part of Sweden's gold medal effort at the 2006 Torino Olympics. He also helped Sweden capture the silver medal at the 2004 World Championships.
Salmela, 24, signed with the Devils as a free agent on May 30, 2008. He is in his third stint with NHL club this season after being called up from the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters on February 19.
The 24-year old Nokia, Finland, native has three assists in 17 games with the Devils.
Prior to his North American career, Salmela recorded 36 goals and 41 assists in 218 SM-Liiga (Finland) games with Tappara Tampere and Lahti Pelicans. He set Finnish career-highs for points (32), goals (16) and assists (16) in 56 games with Tappara during the 2007-08 season.
He also represented his homeland at the 2004 World Junior Championship and 2008 World Championships.
Stoesz, 22, has four goals and three assists with 158 penalty minutes in 43 games this season with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL. The Steinbach, Manitoba, native has appeared in 107 career games with the Gladiators, recording eight goals and five assists with 449 penalty minutes.
Stoesz was originally selected by the Thrashers in the seventh round, 207th overall, of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
