Flyers trade Mark Streit to Tampa Bay Lightning

In a deal of veteran players, the Flyers traded defenseman Mark Streit to Tampa Bay on Wednesday for forward Valtteri Filppula, who had seven goals and 27 assists in 59 games this season.

The Flyers also receive a fourth-round pick and a conditional seventh in the 2017 draft. Tampa then dealt Streit to Pittsburgh for a fourth-round pick in 2018.

Filppula, who will turn 33 on March 20, has one year left on a contract that has a $5 million cap hit. His no-movement clause carries over to the Flyers, meaning he will have to be protected in the expansion draft.

"He makes us a better team," Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said, adding that the center gives the Flyers "stability up the middle."

Streit, 39, has five goals, 21 points and a minus-10 rating this season.

Hextall said getting Filppula for the next year and a quarter was "very attractive. You don't get a player like this on July 1 on a one-year deal."

Two years ago, Hextall made a terrific deal with Tampa, sending Braydon Coburn to the Lightning for Radko Gudas, a first-rounder in 2015, and a third-rounder in 2015. That first-round pick was later traded to Toronto as part of a deal to move up in the 2015 draft and select Travis Konecny.

At times, Filppula, a 6-foot, 196-pound Finn, centered Jonathan Drouin and Ryan Callahan this season. Filppula's production has declined since he scored 25 goals for Tampa in 2013-14. Since then, he has had seasons of 12, eight, and seven (this season) goals.

It's a surprising deal because Hextall had vowed to get younger. And since Filppula's no-movement clause transfers to the Flyers, they will have $5 million less to spend in the free-agent market in the off-season.

Hextall said he was "comfortable" assuming the no-movement contract.

The third-year GM said he came close to making a few other moves, but the talks never came to fruition.