The Toronto Maple Leafs earned Brian Boyle.

The veteran center - who's played a ton of playoff hockey over the past few years - was acquired by Toronto in a trade with Tampa Bay on Monday, and the players he's joining can consider Boyle a reward for their strong play through three quarters of the season.

"It goes to show they have a lot of faith in the group here," winger James van Riemsdyk said of the trade, according to The Athletic's James Mirtle.

The plan is for Boyle to center Toronto's fourth line with Matt Martin and - for the time being - Josh Leivo, while he'll also see duty on the penalty kill and in front of the net on the power play, according to head coach Mike Babcock.

The Leafs are hopeful that Boyle - flying out west from Tampa Bay - will be in their lineup Tuesday night in San Jose.

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Talk is cheap, and doesn't put a Stanley Cup ring on one's finger.

That's the message brought forth by Alex Ovechkin after his Washington Capitals traded for defenseman Kevin Shattekirk, further cementing their status as Stanley Cup favorites.

"Every year we talk about 'this is our year, this is our year,'" he said Tuesday, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com. "But enough talk. It's time to do something."

The reigning Presidents' Trophy winners were bounced from the playoffs in the second round by the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, and the Capitals have never actually advanced to the Eastern Conference finals during the Ovechkin era.

With the roster currently in place, Washington has its best chance of winning a Cup, and anything less will be a massive disappointment, as reiterated by general manager Brian MacLellan.

When asked what success means to the team this season, he said, "winning a championship."

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The Ottawa Senators have acquired winger Viktor Stalberg from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2017 draft, the clubs announced Tuesday.

In Stalberg, the Senators add more forward depth, which was also addressed Monday when general manager Pierre Dorion traded for longtime Canucks winger Alex Burrows.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are well outside the playoff picture, but with the extra draft selection have now accrued an astounding seven picks in the first three rounds of the 2017 draft.

In 57 games this season, Stalberg's recorded 12 points. He'll be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

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The Detroit Red Wings have traded defenseman Brendan Smith to the New York Rangers, the club announced Tuesday.

In exchange for Smith, 28, the Red Wings will receive a 2018 second-round pick and a 2017 third-rounder.

The Rangers were reportedly in the mix for Kevin Shattenkirk, who was dealt to the Capitals on Monday, but in Smith, the Blueshirts receive a viable consolation prize to shore up a back-end in need of more mobility.

Smith carries a cap hit of $2.75 million, and will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. In 33 games this season, he has just two goals and three assists, but was one of few possession drivers on a struggling Red Wings team.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. - Former Buffalo Sabres player Andrew Peters won't face charges following an on-ice brawl involving the youth hockey team he coaches.

The Erie County district attorney's office and Buffalo police began looking into the Saturday fight after video appeared to show Peters reaching across the Buffalo Junior Sabres' bench and shoving to the ice a player from the Hamilton, Ontario, team.

District Attorney John Flynn said Tuesday the parents of the teenage player don't want to pursue criminal charges against Peters, so his office won't take legal action.

The 36-year-old Peters was suspended from coaching Buffalo's 15-and-under team. Neither the Buffalo Junior Sabres nor Peters has responded to requests for comment.

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The New York Rangers will be without defenseman Dan Girardi for 10-14 days as a result of an ankle injury, the club announced Tuesday.

Girardi is averaging almost 19 minutes per game this season, with four goals, eight assists, and 52 shots.

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Follow theScore's fantasy feed on Twitter (@theScoreFantasy) for the latest news, features and more. And download Squad Up, theScore's free-to-win-money sports game.

Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Tuesday, Feb. 28 (all advanced statistics courtesy of Corsica.Hockey and apply to 5v5 situations):

Dynamic Duos

• LW Nick Foligno (44K) & C Alexander Wennberg (38K), Blue Jackets (at Canadiens): The Canadiens return home following an overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils, Monday. The lack of rest will further test their poor forward depth. Columbus' third line has a Corsi For rating of 55.17 percent, and they played 21.24 percent of all 5v5 minutes last game. Montreal's has just been assembled.

• C Evgeni Malkin (77K) & RW Phil Kessel (57K), Penguins (at Stars): Malkin, Kessel and LW Chris Kunitz played 16.98 percent of 5v5 minutes in the Penguins' most recent game. The Stars have been allowing 11.21 opponent scoring chances per 60 minutes since Feb. 1, the third-highest rate in the league. Their 3.09 expected goals allowed per 60 is second most.

• LW Jonathan Huberdeau (55K) & C Aleksander Barkov (64K), Panthers (vs. Hurricanes): The Hurricanes have been expected to allow 2.78 goals on 8.32 scoring chances per 60 minutes of 5v5 play since Feb. 1. Floriday's 'first' line has been used less than the second line of LW Jussi Jokinen, C Vincent Trocheck and RW Reilly Smith at 5v5, but they remain the top power-play unit.

Goalie Breakdown

• TARGET - Ryan Miller (94K), Canucks (vs. Red Wings): Miller's moderately expensive following a recent run of five starts where he allowed three or more goals in four of the five appearances. The Red Wings are averaging 9.98 scoring chances per 60 minutes but are expected to score just 2.52 goals.

• BARGAIN - Ben Bishop (75K), Kings (at Flames): Bishop is the minimum salary entering his expected debut for the Kings. He allowed just six goals in five February starts and picked up his first shutout of the season. Los Angeles is allowing fewer scoring chances, goals and shots on goal per 60 minutes than Tampa Bay this season.

• FADE - Petr Mrazek (81K), Red Wings (at Canucks): The Canucks average a moderate 7.35 scoring chances per 60 minutes but average just 27.44 SOG per 60 minutes. Mrazek won't be able to rack up enough saves to overcome the detriment of just a couple goals allowed.

• CONTRARIAN - Darcy Kuemper (78K), Wild (at Jets): Kuemper is expected to replace G Devan Dubnyk for the second half of Minnesota's back-to-back. The Wild allow 31.08 shots on goal per 60 minutes but just 5.97 scoring chances at 5v5. He represents a significant drop from Dubnyk's talent, but he has made 30-plus saves in five of his past seven games.

Bargain Plays

• LW Peter Cehlarik (27K), Bruins (vs. Coyotes): Cehlarik is easily the most affordable member of the Bruins' top-six forwards. He also comes with the lowest upside, but if he can replicate his 17:48 of ice time in his most recent game he'll have a good shot of returning value against the Coyotes' porous defense. The line of Cehlarik, C David Krejci and RW David Pastrnak have a CF% of 52.43.

• C Christian Dvorak (25K), Coyotes (at Bruins): Dvorak should be given the first opportunity to replace C Martin Hanzal as the Coyotes' first-line center. He is also likely to move from the second power-play unit to the top trio with the man advantage. He had two SOG in each of his past two games with the count likely to rise with more ice time.

• RW Craig Smith (27K), Predators (at Sabres): Smith has more shots on goal in February than any other month this season, tallying at least two in each of his past five games. He has played between 11:50 and 16:09 during the span, with the majority of his 5v5 time coming on the right side of C Mike Fisher and LW Kevin Fiala. The three have a CF% of 55.36 and face a Sabres team with a rating of just 46.84 for the season.

Top Fades

• C Jonathan Marchessault (46K), Panthers (vs. Hurricanes): Marchessault has remained a fantasy asset since the return of Huberdeau to Florida's top line. A lot of his retained value has come via his role on the point on the top power-play unit. The Hurricanes, however, allow the lowest power-play conversion rate in the league, further limiting Marchessault's potential.

• D Dustin Byfuglien (62K), Jets (vs. Wild): While a high shot on goal count is typically all owners seek in a defenseman, Byfuglien's lofty salary requires some point production. As stated above, the Wild are among the league's best teams at limiting scoring chances, with Byfuglien unlikely to pose a threat with his average shot distance of more than 40 feet.

• RW David Pastrnak (75K), Bruins (vs. Coyotes): Pastrnak has oddly been bumped from his spot on the first line with LW Brad Marchand and C Patrice Bergeron and joins Cehlarik and Krejci on line two. While he'll still be playing with a top-tier center, he won't have quite the same upside indicative of his salary.

Contrarian Options

• D Colton Parayko (34K), Blues (vs. Oilers): Parayko should take over the majority of the offensive role vacated by D Kevin Shattenkirk. The Oilers rank just 23rd in penalty-kill percentage. Nine of his 28 points on the season have come via the man advantage.

• C Nathan MacKinnon (49K), Avalanche (at Flyers): MacKinnon is having a disastrous season as part of an even worse year for the Avalanche. He did notch seven SOG in his past two games, playing a high of 21:08. The Flyers allow 3.00 goals per game, ranking fifth-worst in the NHL.

• LW Jason Zucker (37K), Wild (at Jets): Zucker is expected to replace LW Zach Parise on the top line. While he has a lower offensive ceiling, he still has 19 goals and 42 points on the season, and he provides more blocked shots and hits than Parise, translating to a higher floor in equal ice time.

(Photos courtesy Action Images)

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Doug Armstrong did what had to be done with the knowledge that Kevin Shattenkirk would not be returning to the St. Louis Blues next season.

Rather than lose the defenseman for nothing as an unrestricted free agent, the general manager sent Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals for a first-round pick in 2017, a conditional pick at the 2019 NHL Draft, as well as forwards Zach Sanford and Brad Malone.

"We said it last year in the summer, we were transitioning to a new group of players (and) this is a continuation of that," Armstrong added.

Indeed, the Blues are building around captain Alex Pietrangelo and young Colton Parayko - who will need a new deal this summer - on the blue line, and have parted ways with older forwards in lieu of fresh legs in recent years.

Quite simply, Shattenkirk's next deal would have proven difficult to fit under the salary cap and into the team's long-term plans.

In regards to the return, Armstrong said the market was set by the buyer.

"We talked to a lot of teams. The value of Kevin was dictated to us," he admitted," according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports. "Sometimes the value of something you cherish isn't the value that other people have."

Earlier Tuesday, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan shed some light on the process and what St. Louis definitely wanted in return.

Sanford, 22, has 11 goals in 25 games for the AHL's Hershey Bears in his first season as a pro.

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It's official, Alexandre Burrows is an Ottawa Senator for years to come.

The Sens signed the veteran to a two-year extension Tuesday after orchestrating a trade for the longtime Canucks agitator on Monday, sending prospect Jonathan Dahlen to Vancouver in return.

The deal runs through the 2018-19 season and features a 10-team no-trade list. Additionally, Burrows, 36, will earn $2.5 million annually, the club announced.

While general manager Pierre Dorion believes the veteran experience will help his club down the stretch, the trade wasn't so well-received by the hockey world.

In 55 games this season, Burrows has scored nine goals and added 11 assists.

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