Flyers acquire Kris Versteeg for draft picks

The deepest set of forwards in hockey just got deeper. According to TSN, the Flyers have acquired forward Kris Versteeg from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for first and third round picks in the 2011 draft. You are likely familiar with Versteeg because he won a Cup with the Blackhawks last year.

Versteeg, who is just 24, is a solid all-around player who can play on the powerplay and the penalty kill. This is his third year in the NHL and he scored 20 goals in his first two seasons and currently has 14 goals and 21 assists for Toronto this season. Versteeg has a cap hit of just over 3 million dollars and will be a restricted free agent after next season, so we could be seeing him in Flyers orange for several years.

The acquisition of Versteeg gives the Flyers quite possibly the best group of forwards in the league. Adding Versteeg to a list of playmakers that already includes Danny Briere and Claude Giroux makes an already dangerous Flyers attack that much more potent. Sure, giving up a pair of draft picks is a pretty steep price, but the Flyers are clearly going for broke this year and want to put the best possible team out on the ice. Given that the Flyers now have an extra forward on the roster, don't be surprised if they make another move in the coming days.