According to the ever-reliable TSN hockey insider Bob McKenzie, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars have made a pretty significant trade. Pittsburgh will send defenseman Alex Goligoski to Dallas in exchange for forward James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen.
↵Neal, 23, is a budding power forward winger. In the past two seasons he’s scored 48 goals, much more than any current Penguin winger. He figures to add size and skill to the Pens. Neal is signed through the 2011-12 season at a cap hit of $2.875 million and he will be a restricted free agent after that.
↵Niskanen, 25, is a former first round pick with 277 games of NHL experience. He is perhaps most familiar to Pens fans as a player who got in a fight with Sidney Crosby earlier this season. He is signed through the 2011-12 season with a cap hit of $1.5 million and is a RFA after that.