Devils swap Rolston for Hunter

The planned "Hawk Talk" goes on the back burner with two trades today with one involving the Indians (Post later) and the Devils swapping the high salary of Brian Rolston to the New York Islanders for Trent Hunter.

Brian Rolston had picked up his play last season after passing through waivers,but was still owed over five million dollars for the upcoming season,while Hunter has two years remaining on his contract,but at a much smaller hit of two million a season.
The obvious way to look at this is to say that the money saved from this trade will help sign Zach Parise and it very well might,but let's look at this from a strictly hockey angle for now.

Assuming that Trent Hunter is 100 % healthy after a torn MCL that limited him to 17 games last season and assuming that the team did not acquire him to simply buy him out and create extra cap space,I can see how the Devils could actually profit on the ice as well as off it with the trade.

The Devils moved a player from their strongest position (left wing) and added a player to their weakest (right wing).
Hunter looks to a player that you can count on to score 10 to 20 goals a season and is a reasonably decent two way player.
In other words,a healthy Trent Hunter could be a nice fit on the third or fourth lines.
Hunter is 31 and coming off an injury,so this is far from a sure bet,but considering the cost and age of Brian Rolston,this type of return was about as good as the Devils were going to get.
This could mean the end of David Clarkson with the Devils as Hunter,Clarkson and recent additions Eric Boulton and Cam Janssen,look to be four guys for two spots.
Clarkson has always been a favorite of mine,but he looks to be the most marketable player of the four and possibly the odd man out.
Here is hoping for Clarkson(IF he HAS to go) to be shipped to Winnipeg and the Jets...

Brian Rolston did not bring the game that he was so heavily paid for to town and with the exception of his second half of last season was wildly overpaid,but he did so with class and did not become a locker room cancer,even after bring waived-which many players would have done.
Rolston still can help a young team like the Islanders,so it makes sense for them as well.

I hope to be back later with some thoughts on the Indians trade for Kosuke Fukudome with some luck from the clock....