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The Carolina Hurricanes made one trade Sunday morning by sending Brian Boucher to the Flyers and then made a second Sunday afternoon, acquiring Kevin Westgarth from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Anthony Stewart and two draft picks.
"We were looking for a character, team guy who can play a gritty role for our team," Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford said. "Kevin is a good addition to fill that spot."
Westgarth, a Princeton grad, is probably better known for his prowess in the CBA negotiations than his play on the ice. Last season with the champion Kings, he played in just 25 games with one goal and one assist. But like another Princeton grad who made his way to the Southeast Division this offseason (Florida's George Parros), Westgarth is best know for his heavy fists, not his stick-handling. In the 2010-11 season, he had 15 fights.
He should be comfortable in Carolina; he already makes his home in Raleigh during the offseason.
Westgarth has averaged just more than five minutes per game in his three NHL seasons.
The bigger side of the trade is what the Kings are getting in the deal, Stewart. Drafted by Florida, Stewart had his breakout in his one and only season with the Atlanta Thrashers, scoring 14 goals with 25 assists in 80 games in 2010-11. He then skipped over to Carolina and regressed last season with nine goals and 11 assists.
It would seem to be a pretty good deal for the Kings, even if Stewart doesn't produce much. They receive a player with a little more upside than Westgarth as well as a couple of assets in draft picks.
Stewart is the older brother of St. Louis Blues forward Chris Stewart.
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