Pittsburgh, PA

Rather than lose him for nothing next season, the Dallas Stars have traded captain Brenden Morrow to the Pittsburgh Penguins for prospect Joseph Morrow and a 2013 third-round pick.

Brenden Morrow, in the final season of a six-year, $24.6 million deal, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next season and expected to bolt the Stars and test the market.

Aside from Joseph Morrow, who has no relation to the former Dallas captain, the Stars are also slated to receive a 2013 fifth-round pick from the Penguins.

"The way he plays the game is something we wanted to try to add, something we identified," Penguins general manager Ray Shero said after the trade.

Brenden Morrow has six goals and 11 points in 29 games this season, and for a short time, played on the Stars' fourth line.

However, he could be rejuvenated by potentially playing wing on one of the top two lines of the high-scoring Penguins, centered by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

In explaining the trade, Shero said he believes Morrow's power-forward tendencies, including a willingness to drive to the net.

Shero also liked his experience and leadership ability aside from the familiarity that Morrow has with many of Pittsburgh's key players.

Morrow was a teammate with Crosby and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury when all three played and won gold medals with Team Canada in 2010.

He also played with forward James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen in Dallas before those two players were traded to the Penguins.

With Pittsburgh, Brenden Morrow will have a chance to see action in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins are first in the Eastern Conference with 48 points while Dallas sits No. 8 in the Western Conference with 33 points, one point ahead of San Jose.

A 25th overall pick by Dallas in the 1997 NHL Draft, Brenden Morrow has played all 835 of his NHL games with the Stars, and has been captain since 2006.

He has scored at least 20 goals seven times in 12 previous seasons, and has 243 goals and 528 points. He also has 42 points in 78 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He had six points in 21 games to help the Stars reach the 2000 Stanley Cup Final as a rookie.

 

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Stars Trade Captain Brenden Morrow to Penguins