The Blackhawks added some muscle Tuesday, acquiring bruising forward Ben Eager from the Flyers for defenceman Jim Vandermeer. Eager, 23, had no points, a minus-8 rating and 62 penalty minutes for the Flyers this season. The six-foot-four, 225-pounder led the NHL with 233 penalty minutes last season, despite playing just 63 games. "We wanted a high energy player for our fourth line and Ben is that kind of player," Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon said in a statement. "He is just 23 years old, he can skate and he is a very gritty player."

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired center Doug Weight, left wing Michal Birner and a seventh round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for center Andy McDonald. ?Andy McDonald has been a great contributor for us over the last few seasons, and we thank him for the tremendous work ethic and character he brought to our club,? said Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke. ?At the same time, we are pleased to add one of the most dynamic passers in the NHL today in Doug Weight. His production and leadership during his NHL and international career speak for themselves.? Weight, 36 (1/21/71), scored 4-7=11 points with a +4 rating and 12 penalty minutes (PIM) in 29 games with the Blues this season. The four-time NHL All-Star (1996, 1998, 2001, 2003) has scored 4-1=5 points in his last four games. A native of Detroit, MI, Weight helped Carolina to a Stanley Cup championship in 2006, scoring 3-13=16 points in 23 playoff games. He has scored 259-696=955 points with 877 PIM in 1,093 career NHL games between the New York Rangers (1990-93), Edmonton Oilers (1993-2001), Blues (2001-07), and Carolina Hurricanes (2006). Among active all-time NHL leaders, Weight ranks seventh in assists and 10th in points. In addition, he has played for Team USA in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, 1996 and 2004 World Cup, and 2005 World Championship. Birner, 21 (3/2/86), has appeared in 18 games for Peoria (Blues? AHL affiliate) this season, scoring 2-5=7 points with four PIM. Originally selected by St. Louis in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Birner played his first professional season with Peoria last year. In 66 games for the Rivermen, he scored 11-17=28 points with 20 PIM. A native of Litomerice, Czech Republic, Birner split his time in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) between Barrie and Saginaw from 2004-2006. In 119 OHL games, he collected 42-85=127 points with 132 PIM in 119 games. Birner, who played for Team Czech Republic at the 2005 World Junior Championship, also captured a bronze medal as a member of the Czech Republic team at the 2004 World Junior Under-18 Championship in Belarus. McDonald, 30 (8/25/77), has appeared in 33 games this season, scoring 4-12=16 points with 30 PIM. He has played in 391 career games with the Ducks after signing as a free agent on Apr. 3, 2000. A native of Strathroy, Ontario, McDonald played in 82 games during the 2006-07 campaign for Anaheim, scoring 27-51=78 points. He appeared in his first NHL All-Star Game last season and won his first Stanley Cup Championship. Doug and his wife Allison have three children, Ryan, Danny and Addison.

With a glut of defensemen in their minor league system, the Flyers on Monday traded Jussi Timonen to the Stars for a conditional pick in the 2009 draft. The Finnish Timonen played in just 14 games this season for the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers' affiliate in the AHL. He recorded seven assists and 14 penalty minutes. "With the Phantoms having two defensemen coming back from injury, we have a logjam on defense," Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said. "This will give him a chance to play."

Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have acquired forward Nate DiCasmirro and a 5th round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft from the Boston Bruins in exchange for goaltender Alex Auld. DiCasmirro, 29, registered 2-3-5 and 12 penalty minutes (PIM) in 20 games this season for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (AHL). DiCasmirro has recorded 57-105-162 in 358 career AHL games with Hamilton, Toronto, Edmonton, Grand Rapids and Providence. He also has 9-10-19 and 44 PIM in 57 career playoff games. The Atikokan, Ontario native set career-highs in points (52), assists (36) and PIM (97) as a member of Grand Rapids during the 2005-06 season. DiCasmirro originally signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Oilers organization on May 28, 2002 following a four-year collegiate career at St. Cloud State, where he recorded 51-85-136 and 156 PIM in 147 games. Auld registered a 3-6-0 record with a 3.54 goals against average (GAA), .880 save percentage (SV%) and one shutout in nine games with the Coyotes this season, his first in Phoenix. He also collected a 1-1-0 record with a 2.53 GAA, .906 SV% and one shutout in two games this season with Phoenix?s AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. For his career, Auld has collected a 49-50-2-11 record with a 2.94 GAA, .901 SV% and three shutouts in 117 NHL games with Vancouver, Florida and Phoenix. Auld signed with the Coyotes as a free agent on Aug. 13, 2007.