TAMPA, Fla., June 22 (UPI) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning continued dealing Saturday, acquiring defenseman Brad Lukowich and a 2003 seventh-round draft pick from the Dallas Stars for a 2002 second-round pick.
Lukowich played 66 games for Dallas last season and had a goal and six assists with a minus-1 rating. But he became expendable with the emergence of youngster John Erskine.
"We feel (Erskine's) going to be a legitimate player on our team and with our four core defensemen that we've had now for four or five years, that was pretty well the ceiling for Brad," Stars general manager Doug Armstrong said.
The trade was the second in as many days for Tampa Bay, which dealt the fourth overall draft pick to Philadelphia on Friday for right wing Ruslan Fedotenko and a pair of second-round picks.
"Brad is a strong, physical stay-at-home defenseman who will step into our top four immediately," Lightning general manager Jay Feaster said. "Our goal coming into this draft was to move the No. 4 pick for a top-six forward or a top-four defenseman. And with Fedotenko and Lukowich, we got both and picked up a second-round choice we didn't have."
