Flyers land Versteeg, Bruins land Kelly

Two division leaders just increased the depth of their teams with trades the last couple days.

The Flyers acquired Kris Versteeg from Toronto on Monday night & the Bruins acquired Chris Kelly from Ottawa on Tuesday.

Here a quick take on how each trade affects the teams involved. 

Toronto trades Kris Versteeg to Philadelphia for a 1st & 3rd round pick. 

I'll admit that this trade caught me off-guard when it happened because Toronto just acquired Versteeg from Chicago this past summer & the Leafs don't have a lot of forwards that can score.

However the acquisition of Joffrey Lupul last week from Anaheim made Versteeg expendable. Leafs GM Brian Burke made this trade because Versteeg wasn't effective as a top six forward in Toronto and it was the best offer he got for Versteeg.

This is a great trade for Philadelphia. It's makes one of the deepest teams in the East even deeper. Versteeg is signed through next season which give the Flyers some security on the wing if they can't re-sign Ville Leino.

Versteeg is on pace for 20 goals for the 3rd year in a row and was a key player in Chicago's win over Philadelphia during the Stanley Cup Finals last spring.

The impression Versteeg made left a mark on Flyers GM Paul Holmgren & when he had the chance to acquire him he couldn't pass it up. With the depth the Flyers have at forward Versteeg can just blend in instead of being counted on to score goals like he did in Toronto.

For Toronto it gives them a 1st round pick that the Leafs didn't have after the Phil Kessel trade. It's a late 1st round pick but a 1st round pick none the less. The 3rd round pick also acquired has been rumored to be part of another deal that is in the works. 

Ottawa trades F Chris Kelly to Boston for a 2nd Round pick. 

The trade of Chris Kelly to Boston gives the Bruins some depth up front after it was announced that Marc Savard will miss the rest of the season with a concussion.

I think the price of a 2nd round pick was a little steep but Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli knows Kelly from his days in Ottawa and says that Kelly's versatility played a role in the trade.

Kelly joining the Bruins will give them more balance at forward allowing Nathan Horton to take over as the Number one center while Tyler Seguin can get some minutes on the 3rd line. 

For Ottawa it is another example that the rebuilding is underway in Canada's capital.

Chris Kelly & Mike Fisher were two of the most popular players on the Senators. Both being traded in the last five days makes me wonder who is next for Ottawa.

Despite Ottawa's record they have a few players that would be great additions to NHL teams as they make a playoff push. I'm guessing GM Bryan Murray will be receiving a few calls in the next two weeks about Alexei Kovalev & Sergei Gonchar.