[Sylvanfan]

Patrik Elias is on his way back to the Florida Panthers only weeks after becoming a Devil. Elias and defenceman Brett Clark were moved out to Florida in exchange for Zdeno Chara, Scott Walker, Chris Kelly, and prospect Alexei Yemelin.

Sylvanfan offered the following comments on the deal. "We do feel that we gave up one of the 10 best forwards in the game but we feel that we are getting a top 10 defenceman coming back too. Defenceman often start playing their best hockey between the age of 29-34 and thats the cohort that Chara is about to enter. He's as big as they come and can play in all situations. We had a horrible defensive record last year and if you look at the standings and teams defensive records there is a direct correlation. With the additions of Khabibulin in net and Chara on the blue line we feel that we should be much improved in our own zone and hope that it translates in the standings. Walker is a good veteran guy who had some tough injuries last year. But we are confident that he'll bounce back and can provide us with some leadership and scoring up front. Kelly is a younger guy who we feel will crack our lineup and can move forward with the rest of our organization. Yemelin is the wild card. He could prove to be a solid defenceman, but it's all projection right now."