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Tim Gleason heads to Washington in swap for Jack Hillen

Tim Gleason heads to Washington in swap for Jack Hillen

Tim Gleason is on his way to Washington – and Jack Hillen is going to Carolina. Great for Gleason to escape the Hurricanes. Stinks or Hillen to go from a contender to a team that’s embracing a tank. The Hurricanes picked up a fourth round pick as well.

“Tim has been a steady presence on and off the ice for our team, and I wish him all the best in Washington,”said Carolina GM Ron Francis in a statement. “This gives us a chance to take a look at Jack for the remainder of the season and continue to accumulate assets for a deep draft this summer.”

Well, Ron, I wouldn’t call a fourth rounder an “asset” of any major substance but nice spin.

Said Caps GM Brian MacLellan: “We are pleased to welcome Tim to our organization … Tim is a veteran, physical defenseman and we feel his experience, toughness and skill set further strengthens our blueline.”

Physical, toughnes, skill, playoffs, ROAR! Gleason has averaged 16:39 for the Canes this year and has seven points in 59 games ans is an unrestricted free agent after the season. Hillen has five points in 35 games, but has only averaged 12:22 all year.

In all sincerity, while the Caps were much-maligned for giving Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen long-term deals in the summer, from a short term perspective that’s a rough blueline – especially with Gleason who is a little bit bigger than Hillen, now in the mix.

And as for Carolina, they’re 10 points clear of the Sabres for the NHL’s worst record. It’s just basically an asset for an asset plus a fourth rounder.

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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!

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