Prospal traded to Tampa

The Philadelphia Flyers have traded the rights to Vinny Prospal back to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2008 7th round pick and a conditional pick in 2009.
[Comcast Sportsnet]

Vinny really didn’t express much of an interest in coming back and playing for us next season,” general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement released by the team. “His heart is elsewhere.”

Prospal had 4 goals and 10 assists for the Flyers in 18 games. With Prospal's little desire to return to the Flyers, it was a good move for them to get rid of him. The Flyers had very little cap space to re-sign him anyway and it is now more likely that they will give their best attempt to sign both Carter and Umberger.

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Flyers Acquire Prospal

The Flyers acquired center Vinny Prospal from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Alexandre Picard and a second or third round draft pick in 2009. [TSN]

Prospal currently has 29 goals and 57 points through 62 games. The thirty-three year old centered the line of he Lecavalier and St. Louis.

Picard is a 22-year old defenseman who was a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2003. He is a restricted free agent in the off-season and he became expendable with the signing of Kimmo Timonen and the emergence of Braydon Coburn, Randy Jones, and Ryan Parent. Picard was second on the Phantoms in scoring with 38 points (8 goals, 30 assists) in 53 games.

Prospal on his return to the team who drafted him:

"It is something that I kind of expected - not to go to Philadelphia - but being traded," Prospal said in a release. "My name has been mentioned all around the paper and there has been a lot of rumours. They had a decision to make and they basically dealt me away.

"I am glad that I am going to an organization that I already have been involved with. Philadelphia is a great place to play because they have awesome fans and I was drafted by Philadelphia, so I am basically coming back to where I started."

I'd expect Prospal to likely play alongside Briere and Umberger until Mike Richards and Joffrey Lupul return.

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