Over the weekend the Anaheim Ducks made the kind of trade that championship teams make and contenders never pull the trigger on by trading aging defenseman Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers for right winger Joffrey Lupul and Luca Sbisa a defender who was the first round pick of the Flyers in '08.

Joffrey Lupul is the player the Ducks were missing last year when they couldn't seem to get a goal from any line other then the first line. Sbisa is a young defender which the Ducks needed with aging defenders Pronger and Scot Niedermayer sure to only be around for maybe only another season.

Pronger still has a year or two left and that's the point. Ducks management obviously sees that Chris Pronger is a step slower getting to the puck and they see that he's having trouble keeping pace with the quicker wingers in the league and they see that it's time to make a move while he still holds a lot of trade value. Joffrey Lupul is the young promising winger the Ducks traded to Edmonton in 2006 to acquire Chris Pronger and I was sad to see him go then and I'm thrilled to see him back now! Lupul scored 25 goals last season and should give the Ducks second line some much needed scoring punch.

According to the Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa will compete for a starting job this season and the move also means that the Ducks will most likely not resign unrestricted free agent Francois Beauchemin... that I'm not happy about.

Beauchemin has said he wants to test the free agent waters and is the type of defenseman who doesn't show up in the box scores but plays with the grit and tenacity that wins games in the trences when it counts... in the playoffs.

Great news news though that both Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer will be coming back next season...

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