BUFFALO —
The Buffalo Sabres acquired forward Steve Ott and defenseman Adam Pardy from the Dallas Stars on Monday in exchange for center Derek Roy.
Roy is entering the final year of his contract after underperforming last season for Buffalo.
Following season-ending surgery to repair a torn quadriceps tendon in 2010-2011, Roy had 17 goals and 27 assists in 80 games last season. He scored at least 25 goals from 2007-2010 before he was hurt.
Roy has 161 goals and 266 assists in eight NHL seasons, all with Buffalo.
Ott had 11 goals and 28 assists in 74 games with the Stars last season. The 25th overall pick in the 2000 entry draft, Ott has 85 goals and 135 assists in 566 career games and the Sabres are hoping he can address criticism that the Sabres lack toughness.
Pardy spent his first three seasons with Calgary before joining the Stars in 2011-12, recording four goals, 25 assists and 157 penalty minutes in 183 NHL games.
Since the draft, the Stars have moved out veterans Mike Ribeiro, Ott and Pardy, and added Cody Eakins, Roy and Ray Whitney, whom they signed as an unrestricted free agent Sunday.
“Change is sometimes hard for people to understand,” said Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk. “But sometimes it’s a necessity as well. To be quite frank and honest, we are a team that has been real close, but we haven’t made the playoffs in four years.”
The Stars will now have a center combination of Jamie Benn and Roy, who has had as many as 32 goals and 81 points in a season.
“We have changed the look of our hockey club, and we have two centermen that we feel real confident about,” Nieuwendyk said.
“I think probably a change of scenery will be welcomed by (Roy),” Nieuwendyk said.
“He has been the guy in Buffalo for quite some time, and when you get a serious injury like that, it takes a little time to get back. But scouts in the East felt his game was coming back.”
“You need a blend of skill and grit and we were heavy on the skill side,” Buffalo general manager Darcy Regier said. “The adjustment we wanted to make was to add to the grit side.”
The addition of offensive-minded center Cody Hodgson last season in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks gave Regier the flexibility to deal Roy. Plus, the Sabres like the way Tyler Ennis looked at center late in the season.
“I knew (Regier’s) needs and he knew my needs,” Nieuwendyk said. “Eventually it worked out to the right fit.”
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Derek Roy is traded to the Dallas Stars. AP Photo
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