NHL Trade Deadline: Devils Bolster Defensive Depth by Acquiring Marek Zidlicky

The New Jersey Devils acquired defenseman Marek Zidlicky from the Minnesota Wild on Friday night in exchange for three players and two draft picks, according to the Devils' official Twitter account.

"

Devils acquire Marek Zidlicky from Wild for Kurtis Foster, Nick Palmieri, Stephane Veilleux, 2nd rd pick in '12, conditional pick in '13.

— New Jersey Devils (@NHLDevils) Feb. 25, 2012"

The Star Tribune reported that Zidlicky waived the no-trade clause in his contract and removed from the Wild's lineup for tonight's game against the Dallas Stars.

What Does It Mean?

The Devils have been one of the NHL's best teams in February and have risen from the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff race to the fourth seed as of Friday night. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and are on a four-game winning streak.

New Jersey definitely needed another veteran defenseman, and Zidlicky is a solid player who will add some tremendous depth to the Devils blue line.

With good goal-tending and an improved defense, the Devils will certainly be a tough team to beat in the playoffs.

What's Next?

With Zidlicky off the trade market, there aren't too many other defensemen available for contending teams looking for blue line help before Monday afternoon's trade deadline.

Carolina Hurricanes defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Bryan Allen are two players who contending teams might look to acquire by Monday. Both play well in their own zone and are veteran leaders. Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky is another player who could be dealt if the Ducks decide to become sellers this weekend.

Teams still looking for defensemen better start picking up the phone and make some calls quickly because at this point there's few quality defensemen left to be acquired.

@NicholasGoss35

Follow Nicholas Goss on Twitter for NHL news and analysis. 

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.