Music: {allcanada} OILERS ACQUIRE SMYTH FROM KINGS FOR FRASER, 7TH ROUND PICK

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

{allcanada} OILERS ACQUIRE SMYTH FROM KINGS FOR FRASER, 7TH ROUND PICK

The deal to bring Ryan Smyth back to the Edmonton Oilers is complete.

The Los Angeles Kings traded to Smyth to the Oilers in exchange for forward Colin Fraser and a seventh round draft pick in 2012 on Sunday.

The original agreement had forward Gilbert Brule and a fourth round draft pick leaving Edmonton but the Kings were concerned about the health of Brule, putting the deal on hold and leading to a different proposal.

Sources say the Kings were willing to accept Brule as part of the deal with the intent of buying him out, however the collective bargaining agreement forbids teams from buying out an injured player.

The Kings were then willing to trade Smyth for a 7th round pick without including Brule in the deal but the Oilers wanted to move out some salary.

Smyth was drafted in the first round by the Oilers in 1994 and became a fan favourite over his years in the Alberta capital. But when the two sides couldn't come to terms on a new contract in 2007, the Oilers dealt him to the New York Islanders at the trade deadline, leading to a tearful departure from Edmonton.

Smyth recorded 23 goals and 47 points for the Kings last season, while playing in all 82 games. The 35-year old became the 17th Kings player and the 257th player overall to appear in 1,000 NHL games when he suited up against the Nashville Predators in November.

The 26-year old Fraser scored three goals and added two assists in 67 games with the Oilers last season. It was his first season in Edmonton after spending the previous four campaigns with Chicago, including the 2009-10 season when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.

"I am excited, I am really excited," Fraser told the Los Angeles Kings website. "It hasn't sunk in yet but the first thing I thought of when I heard the trade was how good the Kings are and the direction that the club is going."