The Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins sought to address their respective blueline needs late Saturday night by swapping veteran defensemen.

Heading to Pittsburgh is Philippe Boucher while Darryl Sydor returns to Dallas, where he spent his best seasons from 1996-97 to 2002-03.

Sydor was long rumored to be on his way out of Pittsburgh. He was a healthy scratch several times last season, including most of the playoffs, and wasn't expected to finish the season as a Penguin.

It's unlikely the 36-year-old Sydor will recapture the form that made him such a mainstay during his previous tenure with the Stars but Dallas management is obviously counting on his defensive experience and he could provide another voice of leadership in the dressing room.

Boucher also spent his best season in Dallas, most notably the 2006-07 season where his 51-point performance earned him a spot in the 2007 All-Star game. Injuries limited him to only 38 games last season and this season after 16 games with the Stars he has only 3 points.

The Penguins have been lacking a skillful puck-moving defenseman since losing Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney to injury and GM Ray Shero may be betting that a change of atmosphere could help the 35-year-old return to form.

Early season trades are rare occurances in today's NHL salary cap world but what made this deal work was the dollars. Both blueliners earn $2.5 million each this season and are eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Neither team had to take on extra salary and if both don't fit into their new teams' future plans they'll be allowed to walk without it costing either team a long term asset.  A good move for both teams.