Faceoff Factor

Breaking News: Recent NHL Transactions

Michael Farkas | Transactions & Rumors

Jun 29, 10:42 PM | Hype this story!

Quite a bit of breaking news has just come about in the past couple hours. The NHL is open for business on this Sunday.

A big trade between Los Angeles and Edmonton has just gone down. The Edmonton Oilers acquire defenseman Lubomir Visnovksy in exchange for center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene.

The deal sees the Oilers acquiring yet another offensive-minded defenseman (to add to Souray, Pitkanen, Grebeshkov, and top prospects Taylor Chorney and Jeff Petry). Visnovsky had a pretty awful season (like Stoll) and he brings a brand new extension that pays $5.6 million per year. He only registered 41 points in 82 games last year (his lowest point total since a 58-game campaign in 2003-04). Greene, a defensive defenseman, was injured much of the year last year and is signed on for $1.15 million for each of the next two years. Stoll only notched 36 points in 81 games despite routinely playing the point on the power play. He is a restricted free agent, with arbitration rights, who made $2.2 million last season.

After acquiring the rights to Ryan Malone, the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed him to a seven-year, $31.5 million deal ($4.5 million/yr cap hit). The Lightning are also reportedly close to signing Gary Roberts to a one-year deal worth $2 million, which may include incentives. The Pittsburgh Penguins, as per the terms of the trade, will be compensated with a third round pick in 2009 from Tampa Bay.

The Lightning apparently aren’t done either, they have acquired the rights of Brian Rolston from Minnesota. The latter of which coming within 24 hours of Rolston’s contract expiring. It is unclear at this time what the Lightning gave up in the deal.

UPDATE: The conditions of the deal are in, be careful though, you may experience dizziness.

Let’s start with the basics…the trade is: the rights to Brian Rolston to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 3rd round pick in 2010.

Now, the conditions: If the Tampa Bay Lightning acquire a 4th round pick between now and the 2009 Entry Draft, the Lightning will give it to the Wild in exchange for their own 3rd round pick in 2010 back.

— So Tampa gets a 4th somewhere in the next calendar year, they give it to Minnesota, Minnesota gives them back the original 3rd rounder —

There’s still more, if Tampa signs Brian Rolston for the 2008-09 season AND the swap (a 4th in ’09 for a 3rd in ’10) outlined above occurs, the Wild shall return the 4th in ’09 to Tampa Bay AND shall give the option to Minnesota of selecting either San Jose’s 3rd round pick in 2009 (previously acquired by Tampa Bay) OR Tampa Bay’s 3rd round pick in 2010 again.

— Ok, if Tampa signs Rolston and they never acquire a 4th round pick in 2009, that’s it, done deal. It ends up being Rolston for a 3rd in 2009. Now, if Tampa signs Rolston AND they grab a 4th in 2009 (which activates that little switch-a-roo from the first paragraph) Minnesota can undo that switch by giving Tampa back whatever 4th they were just handed and instead take the original 3rd round pick in 2010, or San Jose’s 3rd in 2009, and that’s Minnesota’s option —

Make sense? Great!

The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed two defenseman. John-Michael Liles was inked to a four-year, $16 million ($4 million cap hit); meanwhile the ink is still drying on Adam Foote’s two-year, $6 million ($3 million cap hit). The signing activates a condition in a previous trade between the two teams and Columbus now owns Colorado’s 4th round pick in 2009.

Stay tuned to Faceoff Factor for the latest.