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Tampa Bay makes trade for Panthers defenseman

The Lightning traded Monday for a player it hopes will provide the offensive spark it has been lacking from its defense.

Tampa Bay sent a fifth-round draft choice in 2003 to the Panthers for defenseman Dan Boyle, whose specialty is moving the puck from the defensive zone, one of the team's glaring weaknesses.

He is expected to join the team today.

"We've been looking to move the puck up the ice, and he does that," general manager Rick Dudley said. "He also could help the power play."

Boyle, 25, who makes $575,000, has 10 goals, 29 assists and is minus-17 in 129 games with Florida. He had three goals and three assists and was minus-1 in 25 games this season but could not find a comfort zone with new coach Mike Keenan.

"I knew it was coming," he told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I got four games and played pretty well, and to not play again, that was frustrating."

To make room, Tampa Bay reassigned defenseman Kristian Kudroc to AHL Springfield.

Still, adding the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Boyle could create competition for playing time among Tampa Bay's seven roster defensemen.

"And that's not all bad," Dudley said. "One thing I've learned, sometimes the knowledge there is somebody waiting to play is not a terrible thing."

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