Penguins ship Hrdina, Leroux to the desert

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins shed another of their once deep collection of Czech stars, sending left wing Jan Hrdina to the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday in a five-player deal.

The Penguins also sent one-time NHL defenseman Francois Leroux, now with Wilkes-Barre (AHL), to Phoenix for forwards Ramzi Abid and Guillaume Lefebvre and defenseman Dan Focht. Of the three, Focht is the oldest at 25.

Lefebvre, was traded for the second time in as many days. On Monday, the Coyotes acquired Lefebvre and two draft picks from the Flyers for forward Tony Amonte.

The Hrdina deal was the latest in a series of recent trades by the cash-strapped Penguins, who are getting rid of big salaries and acquiring young talent that won't immediately cost them a lot of money.

Earlier Tuesday, the Penguins dealt center Wayne Primeau and his $825,000 salary to the San Jose Sharks for right wing Matt Bradley.

The Penguins began the season with only seven players making $1 million or more, but have since dealt two of them. Last month, they traded All-Star forward Alexei Kovalev, their highest-paid player except for owner-player Mario Lemieux, to the New York Rangers.

Hrdina is making $1.25 million in the last year of his current contract. After scoring 24 goals last season, he has 14 goals and 25 assists in 57 games, but has missed 11 of the Penguins' last 13 games with a groin injury.

This marked the fourth year in a row the Penguins - all but out of the playoff race after losing their last nine games - were active at the trading deadline. Last year, they dealt defenseman Darius Kasparaitis to Colorado at the deadline.

Hrdina, a proven scorer who at 27 should have several more years of production left, has at least 13 goals in each of his five NHL seasons.

By acquiring Abid and Lefebvre, the Penguins upgrade the level of their young talent. Abid, 22, has 10 goals and eight assists and is a plus-1 with Phoenix in 30 games, while Lefebvre, 21, is only beginning his NHL career. He has yet to score in 17 career games with the Flyers.

Focht is a big defensemen, a commodity the Penguins badly need. The 6-foot-6, 234-pounder has yet to score in 18 NHL games with Phoenix, with 21 penalty minutes.

The Primeau trade was third significant deal for the Sharks in the week leading to the trade deadline. San Jose has had a disappointing season, going from a Stanley Cup contender to a team that most likely will miss the playoffs.

Last Wednesday, San Jose sent captain Owen Nolan to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and a draft pick. Then the Sharks traded defenseman Bryan Marchment to the Colorado Avalanche for two more draft picks on Saturday.

"I've seen that San Jose has been making some moves, and I'm looking forward to being a part of their team," Primeau said before traveling from Pittsburgh for the Sharks' home game Tuesday night against St. Louis.

The 26-year-old Primeau played in 131 games with Pittsburgh, getting nine goals and 24 assists. He was acquired from Tampa Bay for forward Matthew Barnaby in February 2001.

Bradley, 24, is on the injured list with a broken bone in his wrist. He has two goals and three assists in 46 games with San Jose this season.

Bradley is making $467,500 this year, so his 2003-04 salary will be only about half what Primeau's would have been for Pittsburgh. He has 12 goals and 17 assists in 121 NHL games, all with the Sharks.