Sydor, Numminen highlight three-way trade
Veterans players and draft picks were winging their way across North America Tuesday as three NHL teams pulled off a deal that sees veteran defenseman Teppo Numminen's long tenure with the Phoenix Coyotes end.
Numminen is now a member of the Dallas Stars, while fellow defenseman Darryl Sydor will now call the Columbus Blue Jackets his team and center Mike Sillinger is the newest Coyote.
Numminen and Columbus' second-round pick in the 2004 Entry Draft go to Dallas. Sillinger and an undisclosed draft pick go to Phoenix and Sydor ends up in Columbus.
For Numminen, the trade ends a 15-year association with the Phoenix franchise. He originally was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, the Coyotes' predecessor, in 1986 and debuted with the club in 1989-90. He made the move to Phoenix with the Coyotes and always has been a solid, dependable backliner. In all, Numminen appeared in 1,098 games with the Coyotes franchise, which puts him behind only Detroit's Steve Yzerman (1,378) for the player with the longest tenure with one club.
Last season, Numminen scored six goals and assisted on 24 others in 78 games. There was considerable speculation he would be traded to a Stanley Cup contender at the trade deadline, but Numminen stayed put until Tuesday. For his career, the Finnish Olympian has 108 goals and a total of 534 points.
He joins a veteran team in Dallas that has seen Derian Hatcher a fixture on the Stars' blue line -- sign with Detroit earlier this summer. As presently constituted, Numminen joins a defense corps that includes Philippe Boucher, Richard Matvichuk, Stephane Robidas, Don Sweeney and Sergei Zubov. In addition, John Erskine is a restricted free agent and Lyle Odelein is an unrestricted free agent.
"Teppo Numminen is a talented player who adds veteran leadership and experience to our defensive corps," Stars General Manager Doug Armstrong said. "He plays a solid game on both ends of the ice and is the consummate professional. We're very excited to add him to our team."
Columbus adds a 12-year veteran in Sydor, who was a first-round selection of the Los Angeles Kings in 1990. Last season, Sydor scored five goals and 31 assists and was a plus-22 in 81 games. In addition to good size at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Sydor can run the point on the power play. For his career, Sydor has 82 goals and 323 assists in 863 regular-season games.
"Darryl Sydor is a perfect fit for our hockey club and I am ecstatic that we were able to bring him to Columbus," Columbus GM/coach Doug MacLean said. "Not only is he an excellent puck mover and strong power-play performer, but he is a winner having won a Memorial Cup championship in juniors and a Stanley Cup with the Stars. I've pursued Darryl for some time and I'm thrilled that he is a Blue Jacket."
Sillinger became available after the Blue Jackets signed centers Todd Marchant and Trevor Letowski as unrestricted free agents this summer. Sillinger also has spent parts of the last 12 seasons in the NHL, making the rounds from the Red Wings to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, to the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and the Blue Jackets. In 75 games with the Blue Jackets last season, Sillinger scored 18 goals and 25 assists. For his career, Sillinger has scored 153 goals and 221 assists in 753 regular-season games.
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