NEW YORK — The New York Rangers acquired defenseman Adam McQuaid from the Boston Bruins for defenseman Steven Kampfer and two draft picks.

The teams announced the trade Tuesday before the Bruins flew to China for two exhibition games.

Boston gets a fourth-round pick in next summer’s draft and a conditional seventh-round pick.

New York adds size and experience with the addition of the 6-foot-4, 212-pound McQuaid, who has played 462 regular-season NHL games. McQuaid, who turns 32 in October, has 66 points in his career and one year left on his contract at a salary-cap hit of $2.75 million.

Kampfer, who turns 30 in late September, returns to the Bruins after being drafted in 2007 and making his NHL debut with them in 2010.

LIGHTNING: Steve Yzerman announced he is stepping down as Tampa Bay’s general manager after building the Lightning into a perennial contender, handing the reins to longtime assistant Julien BriseBois just two days before training camp.

Advertisement

Yzerman will move to a senior adviser role working under BriseBois and he said he was “100 percent committed” to the Lightning this season. Owner Jeff Vinik joined both men at a news conference in Tampa, Florida.

It was a surprising move for a powerhouse team in the league, one that reached the Eastern Conference final last season. Yzerman, 53, spent the past eight seasons as Tampa Bay’s GM, a tenure that included five playoff appearances, three trips to the conference final and an appearance in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final.

He said he came to the decision in late July not to sign another contract as GM and that it took until now to iron out details on what to do next. Yzerman said BriseBois is “more than ready” to succeed him.

LAWSUIT: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman downplayed the significance of entering mediation with former players in a bid to settle a concussion lawsuit, saying the league is simply following a judge’s order.

He said he had nothing to add when asked if there has been progress, and Bettman reiterated the NHL’s position on the lawsuit hasn’t changed, by saying: “We also think the lawsuit doesn’t have merit.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.