Senators Acquire Hillary Duff From Islanders for First Round Pick

With all the Senators posts around here lately, I'm thinking about renaming this blog Dany Heatley Rocks. Except he doesn't, so there goes that.

Anyway...

In a stunning but not surprising move today (you figure that one out), the New York Islanders have sent veteran cheerleader/fan/person Hillary Duff to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Dean McAmmond and a first round pick in this June's draft. The Islanders also sent a couple of guys to Ottawa on security detail for Duff.

Given that the Islanders are in complete rebuilding mode, the trading of talent for a draft pick isn't that much of a surprise. However, it is surprising that the team has given up arguably their biggest asset in Duff. Duff had not played for the team this year, but was an avid cheerleader from the stands. She has helped re-establish the Islanders as a legitimate sports team in the minds of many New Yorkers. Before Duff became a fixture at Islander games, most New Yorkers weren't even sure the team still existed. Now, not only do New Yorkers know the team exists but they also know that the team sucks.

As for the Senators, this is a huge acquisition. They have acquired some of the league's best talent in an effort to help their playoff run which, as Sportsnet reported yesterday, is still alive and kicking. Duff is clearly a rental at this point and would likely give a much needed boost to a team in trouble. She was a member of the Senators previously during their Stanley Cup run a few years back. She played an instrumental role for them that year and, as the Sens hope, she can be instrumental once again in getting them to the Cup Finals so that they can get whooped by a much more physical team from the Western Conference.