| Oilers acquire Pitkanen, Sanderson from Flyers |
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| Written by Admin |
| Sunday, 01 July 2007 14:22 |
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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Joni Pitkanen and forward Geoff Sanderson from the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday for defenseman Jason Smith and forward Joffrey Lupul. Pitkanen's arrival should provide a major boost to Edmonton's power play, which ranked fourth-worst in the league last season. The 23-year-old had career highs with 39 assists and 43 points in 77 games with the Flyers last season. ``Joni is a talented young defenseman with a proven track record,'' Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe said in a statement. ``He possesses the offensive skills we have been seeking on the blue line and look forward to having him in the lineup.'' Sanderson, a two-time All-Star, had 11 goals and 18 assists in 58 games with Philadelphia last season. Lupul, acquired in the trade that sent defenseman Chris Pronger to Anaheim last offseason, leaves his hometown team after a disappointing season with 16 goals, 12 assists and a team-worst minus-29 in 81 games. The Oilers made two other moves on Sunday, signing free-agent defensemen Dick Tarnstrom and Denis Grebeshkov to one-year contracts. |
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