Hurricanes trade defenseman Ward to Ducks

Hockey Betting Lines

03/03/2010 - Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to force their way into the Western Conference playoff picture, the Anaheim Ducks have acquired defenseman Aaron Ward from the Carolina Hurricanes.

In exchange for the 6-foot-2 defenseman, the Hurricanes receive goaltender Justin Pogge and a conditional fourth-round pick in either the 2010 or 2011 draft.

The trade for the Ducks comes just one day after they dealt defenseman Nick Boynton to Chicago for future considerations. Anaheim entered play on Wednesday three points out of a playoff spot.

The 37-year-old Ward was in his second stint with the Hurricanes and had one goal, 10 assists and a minus-17 rating in 60 games this year. He has 44 goals and 105 assists in 822 career games and is a three-time Stanley Cup winner, having captured championships with the 1997 and '98 Red Wings as well as the 2006 Hurricanes.

"Aaron Ward brings valuable experience and is a proven winner with three Stanley Cup championships," said Ducks executive vice president and general manager Bob Murray. "We are pleased to bring him on board."

Ward has also skated with the Rangers and Bruins in his career, which began when he was drafted fifth overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1991.

The Hurricanes, 14th overall in the Eastern Conference with 57 points, are currently without No. 1 goaltender Cam Ward due to a back injury. Ward hasn't played since February 3 and Carolina has been using Manny Legace and rookie Justin Peters in net.

Pogge, a 23-year-old who was playing with San Antonio of the American Hockey League, owns just seven games of NHL experience as he went 1-4-1 in seven games for Toronto last year with a 4.35 goals-against average. He was traded by the Maple Leafs to the Ducks in October for a conditional 2011 draft pick.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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