Ducks acquire Henrique, send Vatanen to Devils

Center Adam Henrique, forward Joe Blandisi and a third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft were acquired by the Anaheim Ducks in a trade with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday for defenseman Sami Vatanen and a conditional third-round draft pick.

Henrique, 27, has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 24 games this season. He's second among Devils forwards with in average ice time at 18:15, including 2:54 per game on the penalty kill, also second among Devils forwards.

The Ducks are missing three centers because of injuries. Ryan Kesler has not played this season because of a hip injury; Ryan Getzlaf has missed 14 games because of facial injuries sustained Oct. 29, and could miss another month; and Rickard Rakell has been out the past three games because of an upper-body injury.

Anaheim next plays at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, PRIME, NHL.TV).

Taken by the Devils with a third-round pick (No. 82) in the 2008 NHL Draft, Henrique has 257 points (122 goals, 135 assists) in 455 games.

His biggest moments with the Devils came during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He scored in double-overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to eliminate the Florida Panthers, and his overtime goal in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final eliminated the New York Rangers and put the Devils into the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2003.

Henrique is in the fifth season of a six-year contract with an average annual value of $4 million, according to CapFriendly.com, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season. If the Ducks sign Henrique to a contract prior to making their third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, that pick will be sent to the Devils. If the Ducks sign Henrique after using that selection, their third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft will be sent to the Devils. If Henrique does not re-sign with the Ducks, no pick will be traded.

Blandisi, 23, has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 19 games with Binghamton, the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate. He had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 27 games with the Devils last season.

Vatanen, 26, has four points (one goal, three assists) and a minus-6 rating in 15 games this season, and was third on the Ducks in average ice time at 21:06 per game. He missed the first seven games of the season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He could make his Devils debut at the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (9 p.m. ET; ALT, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV).

"In acquiring Sami, we bring on a right shot, top-four defenseman who can play in all situations," Devils general manager Ray Shero said. "This move also gives us contract certainty on the back end for the next two-plus years. When acquiring a defenseman like Vatanen, you have to give back quality assets or players in return. That is the case in this situation with Adam and Joe. Adam has been a key member of our organization for nearly 10 years since he was drafted. His contributions both on and off the ice will always be appreciated by our organization and fans. For Joe, this is a great opportunity with a quality organization like Anaheim and I am happy for him."

Selected by the Ducks in the fourth round (No. 106) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Vatanen has 126 points (33 goals, 93 assists) in 280 games. He's in the second season of a four-year contract with an average annual value of $4.875 million, according to CapFriendly.com.

Injury Notebook: Zajac, Henrique, Bobrovsky, Hamhuis on IR

"The Neutral Zone" Roster Report

Zajac, Henrique on IR, Blandisi Called Up:
New Jersey Devils center Travis Zajac has been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

The move is retroactive to Dec. 3, when Zajac was initially hurt against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils recalled forward Joseph Blandisi from the American Hockey League.

Blandisi, selected in the sixth round (No. 162) of the 2012 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche and signed by the Devils as a free agent in January, has seven goals and 16 points in 18 games with the Albany Devils.

In addition to Zajac, the Devils could also be without top-line center Adam Henrique when they face the Detroit Red Wings at Prudential Center on Friday. Henrique, who leads the team with 13 goals, sustained a lower-body injury in the second period of a shootout loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

The Devils have yet to update the status of Henrique

Bobrovsky out 3 weeks:
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who will be out three weeks with a lower-body injury, was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Bobrovsky left the game Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings with 5:35 remaining in the third period after making 33 saves on 34 shots.

Backup Curtis McElhinney made five saves before allowing Jeff Carter's tying goal with 1:27 left in the third and Alec Martinez's game-winner with 27 seconds left in overtime of a 3-2 loss.

"Curtis has been very good, and now he gets his chance again," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told The Columbus Dispatch. "Now we're going to have to find other ways to win hockey games. Bobrovsky has been keeping us in games, being the Bob we all know and love."

Bobrovsky is 11-12-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .916 save percentage and one shutout, but was 9-4-1 with a 1.71 GAA and a .943 save percentage since Nov. 1 prior to his ninth consecutive start Tuesday. He has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of 12 games, including seven in a row.

Hamhuis takes puck to the face against Rangers:
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis left a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday and was hospitalized after being hit in the face by a puck.

Hamhuis was helped off the ice at 12:27 of the third period after being hit by a shot by New York defenseman Dan Boyle. Hamhuis went to the locker room, didn't return to the game, and left Rogers Arena in an ambulance.

"Hamhuis lost some teeth and probably broke his jaw," Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. "His wife was with him when he left; he'll spend the night in the hospital."