The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes secured two forwards on Tuesday, trading for Scott Walker and signing free agent Shane Willis.
Walker, 33, was acquired from the Nashville Predators for forward Josef Vasicek.
"We have had him a long time," Hurricanes president and general manager Jim Rutherford said of Vasicek, a veteran of five NHL seasons.
Scott Walker holds Nashville's franchise record of 247 career points.
(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
"He has been a good player for us. But when you have the chance to get a guy like Scotty Walker, we feel we upgraded our team because he can do so many things."
Walker, the lone holdover from Nashville's expansion entry in 1998, posted only five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 33 games last season, but was hampered by a strained groin that has since been surgically repaired.
Calling him "totally healthy," Rutherford expects Walker to fill the void left by forward Matt Cullen, who signed a four-year contract worth $11.2 million US with the New York Rangers.
"Once we got everybody signed, we took a look to see where we could make our team better," Rutherford said.
Walker has totalled 106 goals and 291 points in 607 games over 11 NHL seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and Predators.
The native of Cambridge, Ont., was drafted in the fifth round (124th overall) by Vancouver in 1993.
Willis returns stateside
Willis, an unrestricted free agent who played last season in Sweden and Switzerland, inked a one-year pact worth $450,000 US, including $150,000 US in guaranteed salary.
Prior to heading to Europe, the Edmonton native tallied 31 goals and 74 points in 174 NHL games with the Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Willis was drafted in the third round (56th overall) in 1995 by Tampa Bay, which failed to sign him.
Willis re-entered the draft two years later and was chosen in the fourth round (88th overall) by Carolina, which, ironically, traded him and Chris Dingman to the Lightning for Kevin Weekes on March 5, 2002.
With files from the Associated Press
