The Anaheim Ducks power play is about to get a big boost from the backend as they have acquired defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ryan Whitney and a sixth-round draft pick.
The 33-year old Slovakian blueliner has three years and $14 million remaining on his contract.
"Lubomir Visnovsky is a skilled defenseman with a proven track record," said Ducks' Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray in a statement. "We feel this is a major addition for us, not only for our stretch drive but going forward."
Visnovsky has been one of the few bright spots in a woeful season for the Oilers. He leads all Oilers defencemen with 10 goals, 22 assists and is among the team leaders in both plus/minus and ice time. He is a smooth skating powerplay specialist who makes a solid first past out of the zone, however due to his relatively small stature, he has been a bit injury prone throughout his eight year career.
Originally selected 118th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2000 NHL Entry draft, Visnovsky has 87 goals and 252 assists in 594 career games split between the Kings and Oilers. He has represented Slovakia at the Olympics four times and played in the 2007 NHL All-Star game.
This ends a brief and disappointing stay in Anaheim for Whitney. Known for his offensive prowess, Whitney has only four goals and 24 assists in 62 games this season.
He was acquired by the Ducks at the deadline last season for Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi. He was originally drafted by the Penguins in the 1st round, 5th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
