Viktor Stalberg Traded to Senators for 2017 NHL Draft Pick

The Ottawa Senators announced Tuesday they acquired veteran winger Viktor Stalberg from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 draft.

This comes after the Senators announced Monday they acquired forward Alex Burrows from the Vancouver Canucks, so improving the offensive depth was clearly a priority.

Stalberg has played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers and Hurricanes in his career since entering the league in the 2009-10 campaign. He has appeared in 57 games this season and has 12 points on nine goals and three assists.

He scored a career-high 43 points in 2011-12 with the Blackhawks but hasn’t been able to find similar offensive firepower since. Durability is also a concern after he appeared in just 47 games in 2012-13 and 25 games in 2014-15.

As for the Hurricanes, they have a mere 58 points and are well outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. They are on their way to an eighth straight playoff-less season and are rebuilding, so the draft considerations for an aging veteran who likely won’t be in his prime when they are ready to contend makes sense.

According to the team's website, Carolina now has seven picks in the first three rounds of the 2017 draft.

The 31-year-old Stalberg escapes those struggling Hurricanes and joins an Ottawa team that is four points behind the Montreal Canadiens in the Atlantic Division with 21 games remaining (Montreal has 19 games left). However, the Senators are just 19th in the league in goals per game, so improving the offensive depth could prove critical heading into the stretch run and postseason.