Flyers acquire defenseman Alberts

In an effort to patch up their thin blueline, the Flyers acquired defenseman Andrew Alberts from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Ned Lukacevic and a 4th round pick in the 2009 draft. Alberts has spent his first three seasons in the NHL with the Bruins, tallying 19 points in 184 games. Alberts is a big, physical player who fits right into the mold of a typical bruising Flyers blueliner. He's a bit slow but he should jump right into the lineup and leave Lasse Kukkonen on the bench where he belongs.

Lukacevic was originally acquired by the Flyers this past offseason when they traded Denis Gauthier to the Los Angeles Kings. Lukacevic isn't much of a prospect although he could make a decent defensive forward some day.

With the injuries to Ryan Parent and Randy Jones, the Flyers had to make a move to get help on defense. While Alberts isn't a huge talent, he's at least a serviceable player who can log some quality minutes. Alberts also should already be familiar to the Flyers since Scott Hartnell absolutely destroyed him last season in this hit that got him suspended: