In a turnaround from their switch to youth, the Florida Panthers acquired Dino Ciccarelli, the No. 9 scorer in NHL history, from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a four-player deal Friday.
Florida sent disgruntled backup goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick and seldom-used winger Jody Hull to the Lightning, who gave the Panthers defenseman Jeff Norton.It was the second major trade in two days for Tampa Bay, which has an NHL-worst 9-29-8 record. The Lightning made a six-player deal with Montreal on Thursday.
Florida currently is two points away from a playoff spot, and Ciccarelli, an 18-year veteran, should provide some much-needed leadership.
Ciccarelli, a winger who played for Murray in Washington and Detroit, has 597 career goals. He has scored 30 or more goals in a season 11 times since starting his career in 1980 with Minnesota.