Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford acquired defenceman Jamie Oleksiak from the Dallas Stars on Tuesday for a fourth-round pick.

Rutherford, who also traded winger Josh Archibald and goalie Sean Maguire to Arizona for Michael Leighton and a fourth-round pick ahead of Tuesday's roster freeze, said he believes that acquiring the 6-foot-7, 255-pound Oleksiak will help him in trade talks moving forward.

"If we were to move a defenceman going forward, I don't get locked into having to get a defenceman back," Rutherford explained of the team's depth with Oleksiak. "I have more flexibility now. If the right forward's available, we can do it that way also."

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Oleksiak, who turns 25 on Thursday, posted one goal and three points in 23 games with the Stars this season. He was selected 14th overall by the Stars in the 2011 NHL entry draft.

The NHL's roster freeze began at 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday night and will continue through Dec. 28. Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review believes the Penguins could strike quickly once the freeze is lifted to acquire depth in scoring for a defenceman.

Penguins defenceman Ian Cole has been rumoured to be on the trade block this season after spending time in November as a healthy scratch. He has, however, appeared in every game this month, averaging 17:03 of ice time per contest.

Rutherford said his goal leading up to the trade deadline is to have the team resemble the makeup of the Penguins' last two Stanley Cup-winning teams.

"We want to have four balanced lines that the coach can roll out there, six capable defencemen and, of course, the goalies," Rutherford said. "I think if you go back to the teams the last two years, what I just described is what we had. That will be the goal getting to the trade deadline.

"But right now, we're in a fight to be a playoff team. We have to get to that point before we start worrying about Feb. 28."

The Penguins (17-15-3) sit two points back of the New York Islanders for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh will host the Columbus Blue Jackets (20-13-1) on Thursday night.