Ducks Acquire Center, Nate Thompson from Tampa

In a flurry of moves made by Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the Ducks have added another center to the mix in 29-year-old Nate Thompson.

Thompson had spent the last seven years in Tampa, and last year played 81 games for the Lightning, putting up nine goals and seven assists for 16 points.

The most intriguing part of this deal is that Thompson is on a one way $1.6 million dollar contract.  Yzerman apparently was wheeling and dealing last night in order to clear cap space as Free Agency opens tomorrow.  But from the Ducks' perspective, unless Thompson was acquired with other trades in mind, this could create a situation where Rickard Rakell would likely spend a good amount of time in Norfolk again this season.

Rakell will be in the second year of his three year entry level contract and could find himself in a similar spot as Sami Vatanen was last year, being the only player available to be demoted to the minors without having to go through waivers.  I think it's safe to say that most of us were expecting Rakell to be the fourth line center this year, but as of now, he will be fighting for that spot or racking up some serious frequent flyer miles for one more year.