Rumored for weeks to be in the market for one or two defensemen,Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis found what he was looking for with the San Jose Sharks. 

On Friday Gillis acquired veteran blueliners Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich from the Sharks in exchange for defenseman Daniel Rahimi and forward Patrick White. 

The 27-year-old Ehrhoff, who had 42 points in 77 game with the Sharks last season should fill Gillis' need for another puck-moving defenseman. 

Lukowich, 33, is a physical defensive blueliner who has plenty of playoff experience having won Stanley Cups with Dallas and Tampa Bay. 

Sharks general manager Doug Wilson had been sitting just over the salary cap (at roughly $58.3 million) prior to making this move.

In shipping out Ehrhoff and Lukowich for a minor leaguer in Rahimi and a prospect in White (who was selected 25th overall by the Canucks in 2007) Wilson was able to move over $4.6 million in salaries, giving him some much-needed breathing room, perhaps to add another forward. 

It's been oft-rumored Wilson was interested in landing winger Dany Heatley from the Ottawa Senators but by giving up two veteran blueliners it doesn't leave him much to offer up. It's quite possible Wilson could look toward the UFA market for perhaps another scoring winger.