The Anaheim Ducks made their, NHL leading, tenth trade of this season this morning.
The Ducks sent goaltender Curtis McElhinney to the Tampa Bay Lightning for goaltender Dan Ellis.
This is an interesting move on a few levels. First, McElhinney has shown throughout his career that he is the type of guy that you call up from the AHL in a pinch. He is not an every game starter nor he is a solid backup. The Lightning have thief starter in Dwayne Roloson and I would think that Mike Smith will be brought back with the big club as his back up. Expect to see McElhinney in Norfolk for the duration of the season.
As for Ellis, he is now caught in a bit of a logjam in Anaheim. Unless Jonas Hiller’s bout with vertigo is more serious than expected, I would think Ellis will be stuck in the press box or in the minors until the Ducks choose to move (or not resign) Ray Emery.
So, the Ducks now have two NHL-ready netminders who will likely keep out a few more goals than the tandem of McElhinney and Timo Pielmeier.
Personally, I was hopeful that the Sabres would snag Ellis to act as a backup for Ryan Miller for the rest of this season and into 2011-12. It has certainly been a trade season filled with players who I would have loved to see Buffalo get.
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