Tampa Bay And Anaheim Swap Goaltenders

To Tampa Bay: 
G Curtis McElhinney 









To Ducks:
G Dan Ellis 

Review:
This one-for-one goalie swap is the 2nd deal like this to take place in the past week which is interesting to say the least. This particular move is one, I like for both sides. The Ducks were not happy with Curtis McElhinney and his awful 3.43 GAA and .890 Save %. With Jonas Hiller still in a very uncertain health state the Ducks felt like they needed to upgrade their goaltending as soon as possible. Although Ellis is not having his best season, he had 3 great years in Nashville where he really developed into a solid goaltender. The fact that he has proven he can play in this league was definitly a selling point to the Ducks. The Lightning just like the Ducks, were unhappy with their goaltender, which prompted this move. The big reason behind this from a Tampa Bay perspective is Ellis had one more year after this on his contract while McElhinney is a UFA at season's end. So by making this move, they saved a little bit of money towards next season.

Short-Term Winner: Ducks, they get a goalie that is much better than the one they gave up but is still at or even a little below league average.

Long-Term Winner: Tampa Bay, they get rid of a contract and player they had no use for and save much needed money towards next season.