Ben Eager to Chicago for Jim Vandermeer
Dobber Sports
2007-12-18
The Chicago Blackhawks acquired winger Ben Eager from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Jim Vandermeer.
The Chicago Blackhawks get: a young player who will be Top 10 in penalty minutes for the next several years, but at the same time he can chip in 25 or 30 points.
The Philadelphia Flyers get: a No.4 or No.5 defenseman. They needed one because when they traded Jussi Timonen last week they were down to only 14. I don't get this one from Philly's standpoint. Eager was signed for next year, so it has nothing to do with his contract. The only thing I can think of is Vandermeer is a UFA next year. So if the team trades a Derian Hatcher – who is in line for a lot of money next season – they have Vandermeer to help them get through the current year and then have extra cash to sign pending free agents Jeff Carter, RJ Umberger and Jason Smith.
Fantasy Players Impacted: David Koci may never get into the lineup now. With Eager on the team and able to contribute in more ways than just his fists, big Koci's fantasy value plummets.