The NHL-leading Detroit Red Wings strengthened their blue line and perhaps bought an insurance policy for the future when they landed Kyle Quincey as part of a three-team trade.

Officially, the Tampa Bay Lightning sent feisty forward Steve Downie, their fifth-leading scorer, to the Colorado Avalanche for Quincey and then traded Quincey to Detroit for a first-round pick and minor league defenseman Sebastien Piche.

Quincey, considered a solid, safe defender, probably will play in Detroit's third pairing, taking the spot usually occupied by Jakub Kindl or Mike Commodore.

Quincey will be a restricted free agent, perhaps an important factor because the Red Wings could potentially lose Brad Stuart to free agency and Nicklas Lidstrom to retirement next summer.

The Red Wings are paying a first-round pick to acquire a player they gave up on waivers when they had a roster crunch a few years ago. Forced to choose between Quincey and Derek Meech, they chose Meech, who never blossomed into a regular.

"Kyle is a 26-year-old defenseman who plays 20-plus minutes a night," said Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. "We know him very well as we drafted him in 2003, helped him mature into an NHL player and watched his career develop over the past four seasons."

Downie, 24, is the third player that the Lightning have traded this month, joining Dominic Moore (San Jose) and Pavel Kubina (Philadelphia). He joins a Colorado team that has been scrapping to get into the Western playoff picture. The Lightning also picked up minor leaguer Brandon Segal from the Chicago Blackhawks for minor leaguer Matt Fornatoro.

"Our organization believes that Steve Downie will add grit and skill to our lineup offensively," Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman said. "He plays the game with an edge and we look forward to seeing the immediate and future impact he can bring to our team."

Colorado could afford to part with Quincey because they have a surplus of defensemen. Downie, who led Tampa Bay with 121 penalty minutes, is also a restricted free agent. He was fifth in Tampa Bay scoring with 12 goals and 28 points. He set a franchise record by scoring goals 11 seconds apart in a Feb. 12 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After their deals, the Lightning have two first-round picks and three to four second-rounders in the 2012 draft. The Flyers have the option of giving up a 2012 or 2013 second-round pick in the Kubina trade.

Piche will be sent to the ECHL's Florida Everblades.


DB.............