Hurricanes Add Weight to Team

The Carolina Hurricanes acquired veteran center Doug Weight from the St. Louis Blues on Monday, adding another important piece in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Weight, a four-time All-Star and a member of the U.S. Olympic team, is scheduled to join the Hurricanes on Thursday.

“This is certainly a statement to everybody how serious we are about our chances to make a run to the championship,” said Jim Rutherford, Carolina’s president and general manager.

Weight, 35, led the Blues with 33 assists and 44 points in 47 games this season.

He was named to the U.S. team that will be led by Hurricane Coach Peter Laviolette next month in Turin and was considered a trade-deadline target for several top teams.

Weight is in the last year of a five-year contract that pays him $5.7 million this year, with Carolina picking up $2.1 million of that salary, Rutherford said.

The Hurricanes also received the rights to left wing Erkki Rajamaki, playing in the Finnish League.

They sent right wing Jesse Boulerice, center Mike Zigomanis and the rights to unsigned draft pick Magnus Kahnberg to the Blues, along with three draft picks -- including this year’s first-round selection.

Weight, who waived a no-trade clause, said he expected to be traded after next month’s Olympic break.

“It makes me happy to go somewhere where they’re ecstatic to get me,” Weight said. “I want to be a part of that.”

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The Washington Capitals recalled defenseman Mike Green from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.

Green, the Capitals’ first-round draft pick in 2004, leads all AHL rookie defensemen with 25 points in 38 games this season with the Bears.