The Dallas Stars have traded enforcer Krys Barch and a sixth-round pick to Florida in exchange for minor-leaguer Jake Hauswirth and a fifth-rounder.
The most notable asset of the lot is the 31-year-old Barch, who had been with the Stars organization since the lockout. His best year in Dallas came in 2008-09, when he played in a career-high 72 games, posting 4G-5A-9PTS.
But hey, let’s get real here -- Barch is best known for his fighting prowess and willingness to chuck knuckles with pretty much anybody.
Barch’s most active season was in 2009-10, when he finished with 20 fights -- eighth-most in the NHL -- and he’s averaged 17 fights per season over the last for years. Many of those fights have become the stuff of YouTube lore, like this one against Dan Carcillo:
Granted, that didn’t end so well for Barch. Here’s a better effort from one of his many bouts with Brad May:
It sounds as though the Panthers have been lacking in the toughness department recently, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel.
“If the Panthers have shown one weakness this season it’s a lack of physical strength especially after Matt Bradley and Scottie Upshall went down,” he writes. “Opposing teams have been trying to neutralize the Panthers speed and skill by pounding them.”
So yeah, pretty clear what Barch is headed to Florida for.