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Flyers Notes: Flyers acquire D Kubina in trade with Lightning

The Flyers have acquired their second defenseman in three days. Pavel Kubina, the righthanded-shooting defenseman from the Tampa Bay Lightning, was acquired by the Flyers on Saturday evening for two draft picks and minor-league center Jon Kalinski.

The Flyers traded minor-league center Jon Kalinski and two draft picks for Pavel Kubina. (Chris O'Meara/AP)
The Flyers traded minor-league center Jon Kalinski and two draft picks for Pavel Kubina. (Chris O'Meara/AP)Read more

The Flyers have acquired their second defenseman in three days. Pavel Kubina, the righthanded-shooting defenseman from the Tampa Bay Lightning, was acquired by the Flyers on Saturday evening for two draft picks and minor-league center Jon Kalinski.

The 6-foot-4, 258-pound Kubina is in the final year of a two-year, $7.7 million contract that has a cap hit of $3.85 million this season, according to Capgeek.com. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

The Flyers have a little more than $900,000 in salary cap space after sending Marc-Andre Bourdon down to the Phantoms. Bourdon struggled in Saturday's loss to the Penguins, with five turnovers and a minus-1 rating. His cap hit is $850,000.

On Thursday, the Flyers traded for defenseman Nicklas Grossman from Dallas for a 2012 second-round pick acquired from Los Angeles for Mike Richards and a 2013 third-rounder that the Flyers received from Minnesota for Darroll Powe.

Grossman played his first game for the Flyers in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, logging 18 minutes, 26 seconds and finishing a plus-1 and with a team-high eight hits.

Kubina, who will turn 35 in April, is a one-time all-star who was a key member of Tampa Bay's 2004 Stanley Cup championship team.

He has served two stints with Tampa Bay. This season in 52 games, Kubina had three goals and eight assists and a plus-one rating.

What this deal shows is that the Flyers are not willing to give up on this year, despite having inconsistent goaltending.

Trade speculation

Columbus general manager Scott Howson was at Saturday's game, where he met with Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren.

Speculation is that Columbus cornerstone Rick Nash is the subject of trade talks. The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 27.

First goal

Flyers rookie Eric Wellwood had mixed emotions. He scored his first NHL goal on Saturday, but it came in a defeat. His goal late in the second period tied the score at 3-3.

"It was bittersweet," said Wellwood, who became the eighth Flyers rookie to score his first NHL goal this season. "I thought my goal came at a good time, right at the end of the period to tie it up. Seemed like we got the momentum, and they got that quick goal after the first shift [of the third period]."

Leach carnival-bound

One of the former Flyers who will appear at Sunday's Flyers Wives Carnival is Reggie Leach, a key member of the 1975 Stanley Cup championship team who is seventh on the team's all-time goal-scoring list with 306.

The event, which begins at noon, is the largest fund-raiser for Comcast-Spectacor Charities. This will be the 35th annual carnival.

"Back then it was a big fund-raiser and I didn't think it would get as big as it is today," Leach said in talking to reporters between periods of Saturday's game.