James Mirtle broke this one a few minutes ago
Can't say this one necessarily comes as a surprise, now can we? I will admit though, it is kinda funny considering Sydor provided some analysis during last night's game from the press box after being a healthy scratch for yet another game.
All in all I have to say this works out for the Pens. Sydor was tired of playing here and I think the fans were tired of seeing him sit. I never saw anything wrong with Sydor's playing abilities and frankly I think the Penguins were better when he was on the ice. Sure, his offensive contributions weren't what you call Norris worthy, but that wasn't his job. When it came to a scrum in the corners, Sydor always came out clean and often with the puck. Not a lot of undersized defenseman can say that's the case.
Either way, Sydor returns from whence he came prior to the Penguins picking him up in 2007.
As for Boucher, it's been rumored that he's been off his game ever since getting banged up last season with a shoulder injury, piled on top a long history of injuries.
As Mirtle puts it:
[Sydor] has a long history with the Stars organization, and that's likely why they make the move, but the Penguins get the best player in this deal.
Both players make $2.5-million this season and will be UFAs in July. Boucher's a year younger at 35 but has battled injuries far more than Sydor in his career.
As far as I'm concerned this is a good move. Sydor was miserable since last season when Therrien kept scratching him from the lineup and continued to do so through the playoffs. I'm sure the promotions of Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang to the top line while Gonchar and Whitney hit the IR didn't do much for morale either. If Boucher is happy with providing depth on the roster then all the better.