James Neal, Matt Niskanen Traded to Pittsburgh for Alex Goligoski

On Monday morning TSN's Darren Dreger caused quite a stir when he reported on trade talks between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Stars that involved a potential James Neal for Alex Goligoski swap. Soon, Penguins beat writers were all over the news and it was a hot topic of discussion for much of the morning. By Monday afternoon, the out-of-nowhere rumor was a reality as the Stars not only sent the 23-year-old Neal to Pittsburgh, they also added in defenseman Matt Niskanen in exchange for Goligoski, as first reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie.

The meat of the deal, Neal for Goligoski, is a perfect match for the two clubs as they both deal from a position of strength to fill a position of weakness. It's a classic example of it. The Penguins, even before their mid-season run of injuries, could have used more scoring from their wing positions. while they boasted a rather large assortment of defensemen including Kris Letang, Brooks Oprik and free agent additions Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. That quartet made Goligoski easier to give up in a deal.

The Stars, meanwhile, had the exact opposite situation with an impressive collection of forwards and a blue line that could desperately use a young, puck-moving rearguard that's also capable of quarterbacking a power play for the long haul. (They also save quite a bit of cash, which could have also played a big part in the deal as pointed out ESPN's EJ Hradek). Enter the 25-year-old Goligoski.

In 60 games this season the former second-round pick had already tallied a career-high nine goals to go with 22 assists while logging over 20 minutes of ice-time per game. His 31 points from the blue line are already more than any current defensemen on the Stars roster. He's a talented player with plenty of upside and ability, and will likely have better days ahead of him in Dallas.

For Pittsburgh, Neal will be a welcome addition to a roster that has been crushed by injuries this season, losing Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, Jordan Staal, Mark Letestu, and Arron Asham at different points throughout the season. Malkin is done for the season, but Kunitz and Letestu should be back in the lineup soon, while there's still hope that Crosby will return this season.

Once they start to get healthy again it's definitely a formidable group of forwards -- even without Malkin for the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL and MCL -- going forward. Neal gives them a young power forward that's already scored 27 and 24 goals in his first two full seasons in the NHL, and has 21 59 games into his third. He's signed through next season and carries a cap hit of just over $2.8 million. He'll be eligible for restricted free agency following the 2011-12 season.

Niskanen, 24, could definitely use a change of scenery as his production has plummeted over the past two years. After tallying 19 and 29 points respectively in his first two seasons with the Stars, he's dropped to just 18 points over the past two seasons combined, including zero goals and six assists this year. He's also signed through next season at an average salary of $1.5 million.

Goligoski is signed for two more seasons at an average cap hit of $1.8 million.