The Tampa Bay Lightning added an important piece to their team when they traded for defenseman Jason Garrison from the Vancouver Canucks.
In the deal, Tampa Bay sent the number 50 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft to Vancouver in exchange for Garrison, prospect Jeff Costello and a seventh round pick in 2015 NHL Draft, according to CBS Sports.
This traded freed the Canucks from Garrision $4.6 million contract which will help the team during free agency, that starts on July 1, according to the NHL.
This was the second big trade that the Canucks made yesterday, after the team traded Ryan Kesler, as we previously reported.
Canucks general manager Jim Benning said that they are looking to the future with the Garrison trade.
“The Jason move was we’re trying to get a little bit younger on the back end, so Luca [acquired in the Ryan Kesler trade] gives us youth on the back end,” he said. “And going into free agency we wanted to free up some money to be in the game on some of these free agents come July 1.”
The Canucks will have a big hole to fill with the departure of Garrison, who had 33 points and played close to 21 minutes last season.
Jeff Costello was a former fifth round pick by the Ottawa Senators in 2009 and has not played in the NHL.