It's interesting...

...that the first trade to be pulled off could actually turn out to be a pivotal one despite the lack of big name players.

The Flyers acquired Danny Syrvet from the Oilers in exchange for Ryan Potulny.

Each player had been spending time in the minors with each team, occasionally getting call-ups, but not quite appearing to be ready for full time.

I could see Syrvet in the NHL next season, and possibly Potulny as well, simply because each team needs those kind of players.

Syrvet could slide in well with a youthful Flyers defense that might be losing both Derian Hatcher and Jason Smith, two aging veterans who didn’t fit too well with the new NHL style. Syrvet would see third-pairing time behind Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, and Randy Jones, and would likely be paired with either Jaroslav Modry or Lasse Kukkonen.

Potulny will be a less certain case. He could fit well as a fourth line energy player with occasional offensive support, but the Oilers may already have that type of player in center Marty Reasoner. If leader Ethan Moreau, who has suffered from lengthy injuries over the past two seasons, decides to retire, then Potulny could switch to left wing on the fourth line. My guess, though, is that he’ll start in the minors, and then move on to the big club later in the year as a speed-dial player like Drew Stafford was, although likely without as much offense.

Let me know what you think about this, because that was mostly guesswork. I haven’t seen either player play much, but this seems like a possible result.


STARS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!