FLYERS LAND VERSTEEG
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have acquired 5-10, 182-pound right wing Kris Versteeg from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first-round and a third-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.
“Kris is an exciting young forward,” Holmgren said. He’s 24 years old and he’ll fit in with our group of players here. He’s a quality forward that can play in a lot of different roles for our hockey team. He can move up and down our lineup. He can kill penalties. He can play on the power play. We think he’s a guy that over the last few years, particularly in Chicago, has really blossomed into a good forward and we think he’s going to be a really good addition to our team.”
“Right away I was extremely excited to join this team,” Versteeg said. “They’ve had a lot of success this season. They had a great playoff push last year and I’m excited to try and have a good one this year. I like to make plays and score goals at the same time, maybe go out there and be an agitator at times too. I’m going to try and do it all and have fun doing it.”
Versteeg, 24 (5-13-86), was a fifth-round selection of the Boston Bruins (134th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In 53 games for Toronto this season, Versteeg has posted 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. He was acquired by Toronto on June 30, 2010 in a five-player trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Versteeg was part of Chicago’s Stanley Cup championship team last season, contributing 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 79 regular season games and adding six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
In 223 NHL games with Chicago and Toronto over parts of four seasons, Versteeg has career totals of 58 goals and 78 assists for 136 points.
The Flyers return to action on Tuesday night when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the start of a four-game road trip. The game will be broadcast in high definition on Comcast SportsNet and also will air on 610 WIP. Puck drop is 7:30 PM.
1 Comments:
Good trade for the Flyers (especially if that 1st round pick turns into pick 31 this year). From watching him play, and only at 24, i don't think Versteeg has hit his prime yet. A guy who can flourish in a lineup like the Flyers.
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