Marek Zidlicky Traded To New Jersey Devils For Kurtis Foster, Others

The New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild are two teams that have been headed in opposite directions throughout the second half of the 2011-12 NHL season. After an extremely hot start that had them threatening to run away with the Northwest Division, the Wild have folded in short order and have plummeted to fourth place, with little hope of making the postseason.

The Devils, meanwhile, have thrived as of late following a hot-and-cold first half that at times bordered on tepid. The Devils are currently in second place in the Atlantic Division and looking to put some distance between themselves and the teams chasing them in the stacked division.

On Saturday, the two teams were the primary players in a multi-team trade, according to the official Devils Twitter feed. The Devils will acquire Marek Zidlicky from the Wild in exchange for Kurtis Foster, Stephane Veilleux, a Washington Capitals second round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional draft pick in 2013.

Zidlicky is a defenseman who had been with the Wild since 2008. Foster is also a journeyman defenseman, who previously played for Minnesota in 2008-09, and Veilleux is in the same boat as a journeyman who has ties to the Wild. The LW has spent six seasons in Minnesota, most recently in 2008-09.

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