Thrashers' Mark Stuart gets new deal

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The Atlanta Thrashers signed defenseman Mark Stuart to a three-year deal worth $5.1 million Monday.

The deal will pay him $1.6 million next season, $1.7 million in 2012-13 and $1.8 million in 2013-14.

"Coming here I didn't really expect anything, just to come in here and play well and help the team," Stuart told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "It was nice to get a deal done. I like it here a lot. I've very comfortable here. I like the people a lot and I think the team has a lot of potential."

Stuart, 26, was part of the Boston Bruins' cap-clearing trade Feb. 18 that sent him and forward Blake Wheeler to the Thrashers.

The Bruins received defenseman Boris Valabik and center Rich Peverley in the deal.

The Bruins were in need of salary-cap space to accommodate the acquisition of veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Before the trade, Stuart, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, had spent his entire six-year career with Boston.

The Thrashers made a couple of other moves Monday. They acquired forward Radek Dvorak and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forwards Niclas Bergfors and Patrick Rissmiller.

Mark Stuart

#5 D
Atlanta Thrashers

2011 STATS

• GM31
• G1
• A4
• PTS5
• +/-8
• PIM23

Dvorak, who had seven goals and 21 points for the Panthers, can be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Bergfors is a pending restricted free agent.

Bergfors has 29 points, including 11 goals, for Atlanta. He has 74 points in 142 career games with Atlanta and New Jersey.

Rissmiller played in only one game with Atlanta this season.

They sent winger Fredrik Modin to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

Modin, 36, had 10 points, including seven goals, in 36 games this season. He signed with Atlanta as a free agent on Sept. 6, 2010. In his NHL career, he has 232 goals and 230 assists with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

The Thrashers sent goalie Drew MacIntyre to Montreal for defenseman Brett Festerling. Both have spent most of the season in the AHL.

Also, the Thrashers claimed Rob Schremp off waivers from the New York Islanders. He had 10 goals and 12 assists in 45 games this season with the Islanders.

Pierre LeBrun covers the NHL for ESPN.com.

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Pierre LeBrun

NHL

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• Covers the NHL for ESPN.com and TSN of Canada
• Six years on the "Hockey Night In Canada" Hotstove panel
• 13 years at The Canadian Press National News Agency