Jiri Tlusty headed to Winnipeg in trade from Carolina

Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has been a wheeling and dealing man the last couple of weeks.

First there was that whole Evander Kane trade.

The Jets have acquired Jiri Tlusty to add some depth at forward. The Jets gave the Hurricanes a third round draft choice in the 2016 NHL Draft and a conditional sixth round draft choice in the 2015 NHL Draft. Also, forward Blake Wheeler is now on injured reserve.

So for a team that’s going for the playoffs – to bring in another forward and not give up a player off its roster? Sounds pretty solid. Tlusty isn’t exactly a savior for the Jets. His best season came in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 year when he had 23 goals in 48 games.

But he’s a guy who adds more depth up front and some scoring as well, especially with Wheeler hurt and Mathieu Perreault out for possibly the rest of the regular season. Tlusty has 23 points in 52 games this year. His contract expires at the end of the season.

As for the Hurricanes, it’s time to sell (and maybe tank?) like their Sabres brethren to get as high a choice as possible in the upcoming draft. See Tim Murray, you’re not the only one to figure this process out. Just trade your pieces to Winnipeg if you want to increase tankage.

And also as for this move … it takes a potential target off the table for the Blackhawks to acquire to replace the injured Patrick Kane.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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