As Per NHL.com

Kris Versteeg became the latest member of the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks to wind up with a new address just weeks after the team's six-game victory over the Flyers in the Final.

Versteeg and prospect Bill Sweatt were traded Wednesday night to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Viktor Stalberg, Philippe Paradis and Christopher DiDomenico, as the Blackhawks continued to shed salary in advance of the free-agent signing period that begins at noon ET Thursday.

Prior to last weekend's Entry Draft, the Blackhawks traded Stanley Cup Playoff hero Dustin Byfuglien and two other members of their Cup-winning squad, Ben Eager and Brent Sopel, to the Atlanta Thrashers.

The Maple Leafs, who surrendered their first-round picks in this year's and next year's drafts to the Boston Bruins in the Phil Kessel trade, added some proven firepower to their attack, as well as a player who could factor in down the road.

Versteeg, 24, scored 20 goals and 44 points this past season, adding 6 goals and 14 points in 22 playoff games. Originally a fourth-round pick by the Bruins, he has career totals of 44 goals and 101 points in 170 NHL games, all for Chicago.

Sweatt, 21, was taken in the second round by the Blackhawks in the 2007 Entry Draft. An Illinois native, he has recorded 46 goals and 109 points in 143 games at Colorado College.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks get some young talent of their own in return.

Stalberg showed promise during his rookie season, scoring 9 goals and 14 points in 40 NHL games. A sixth-round choice in 2006, the 24-year-old was a Hobey Baker finalist during his time at the University of Vermont.

The 19-year-old Paradis is a former first-round pick of the Hurricanes in the 2009 Entry Draft who was then dealt to the Leafs in December. He made the jump from Shawinigan of the QMJHL to the AHL Toronto Marlies and posted 2 assists in four AHL games.

DiDomenico, 21, was taken in the fifth-round in 2007. He has played the past four seasons in the QMJHL for Saint John and Drummondville, totaling 90 goals and 251 points in 203 games. DiDomenico led Drummondville during the last postseason with 14 assists and tied for the team lead with 21 points.

As per TSN

 Dustin Byfuglien, one of the breakout players for the Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks last season, is in the process of being traded to the Thrashers, pending a trade call.

Byfuglien, along with Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and Akim Aliu, will be headed to Atlanta in exchange for the 24th overall pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the 54th pick, Marty Reasoner and Jeremy Morin.

The 25-year-old forward had 17 goals and 17 assists in 82 games with the Hawks last season.

At 6'4, 257 pounds, the Minnesota native will bring his thunderous size and strength to the struggling Thrashers franchise.

Byfuglien was originally selected 245th overall by the Blackhawks in the eighth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

From Beyond the Blueshirts

Anisimov wins silver, suffers hand injury

Monday May 24th 2010, 12:00 pm

Photo: Sovietsky Sport

In an interview in Sovietsky Sport, Russian head coach Viatcheslav Bykov revealed  that New York Rangers forward Artem Anisimovwas unable to finish Sunday’s gold medal game at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany due to a hand injury suffered in the first period of the game.  The young forward, who’ll celebrate his 22nd birthday today with a flight back to Moscow before returning to New York later this week, received pain-killing injections between periods but still wasn’t able to hold a stick.   He played only two shifts in the second period before sitting out the third.

Bykov, who said the coaching staff was "very happy" with the performances of both Anisimov and fellow youngster Dmitri Kulikov, also reported that Sergei Fedorovsuffered a concussion as the result of his second period collision with Alexander Ovechkin. The 41-year old Fedorov was also unable to finish the game, leaving the Russians two centers short for the third period.

Russia lost the contest, 2-1, to Jaromir Jagr and an underdog Czech squad which was lead on defense by current Ranger Michael Roszival.  The much maligned blueliner led his team in ice time at the tournament and was named one of the Czech Republic’s top three players at the event, along with Jagr and goaltender Tomas Vokoun.

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