One day after acquiring Roberto Luongo, the Florida Panthers traded goaltender Tim Thomas to the Dallas Stars for goaltender Dan Ellis.

Thomas was 16-20-3 with a .909 save percentage and 2.87 goals-against average this season for the Panthers. He did not play in 2012-13, but returned to the NHL on a one-year contract with Florida.

"Tim is a proven goaltender in this League that has won the big games when they matter the most," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. "We have 20 games left in just 39 days, including four sets of back-to-back situations, and adding a player of Tim's caliber helps our depth at the goaltender position."

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Lee Stempniak from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday in a trade for a third-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

The New York Islanders traded Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday for a second-round draft pick and forward prospect Sebastian Collberg.

Vanek is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the season. He turned down a contract extension from the Islanders last month because he appears intent on testing his market value when the free-agent signing period opens July 1.

"Right now my mind is just racing a little bit," Vanek told TSN. "... This is pretty fresh to me, but never say never."

The Islanders acquired Vanek in late October in a trade that sent Matt Moulson, a conditional first-round draft pick and a 2015 second-round draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres. Moulson reportedly was traded to the Minnesota Wild around the same time the news broke on Vanek's trade to the Canadiens.

"I played a lot there with Buffalo; it's electric city, great fans, great building, so I'm excited to join them," Vanek said of Montreal.

The Columbus Blue Jackets traded right wing Marian Gaborik to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.

Matt Frattin, a second-round pick and a third-round pick are heading back to the Blue Jackets in the trade. The third-round pick turns into a second-round pick if the Kings win one round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs or if Gaborik, an upcoming unrestricted free agent, re-signs with L.A., according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Three teams in the NHL have scored fewer goals than the Kings. Gaborik will be expected to contribute in that category.

"With social media right now it gets around quickly," Gaborik told TSN. "I had a hint. It wasn't official, but I talked to J.D. [John Davidson] and Jarmo [Kekalainen], the president and GM in Columbus, and they told me. I haven't had a chance to talk to L.A. yet, but I am pretty much on the way to the airport. Looking forward to this new challenge. It's been a hectic day but a new start, fresh start."

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals each will welcome a new face into the lineup when they take the ice Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2).

Defenseman Andrew MacDonald, acquired by the Flyers on Tuesday from the New York Islanders, will make his debut. Forward Dustin Penner, picked up Tuesday in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks, also will play.

Philadelphia coach Craig Berube said MacDonald would start the game paired with Luke Schenn at even strength and could see time at the point on the second power play.

"He adds skating, puck moving," Berube said. "He's a good two-way defenseman. ... Gets back to pucks quick, moves the puck, gets up the ice and he defends well."

ANAHEIM -- A huge scrum surrounded Montreal Canadiens goalie Dustin Tokarski at his locker before a media relations official announced that he wouldn't be speaking.

It was quite a surprise that Montreal will give Tokarski his first start as a Canadien, and eighth of his career, Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks. But Peter Budaj started the previous four games and Montreal plays the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday.

"We ask a lot of Peter Budaj," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "We play and we're traveling – a lot of hockey in a short period of time. We've got back-to-back. We figure that was the right time to put the kid there. What I'm expecting [is] that [our] players [are] going to play a hard-nosed team because we play the Ducks tonight. This is the best team in the League, and [we need] to make sure they give a good effort for the young kid in net tonight."

The Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender Reto Berra from the Calgary Flames in a trade for a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Berra, 27, was 9-17-2 with a 2.95 goals-against average and .897 save percentage with the Flames this season, his first in the NHL.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Washington Capitals on Wednesday acquired goaltender Jaroslav Halak and a third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for goaltender Michal Neuvirth and defenseman Rostislav Klesla.

Halak joined the Sabres on Friday as part of the trade that sent Ryan Miller and Steve Ott to the St. Louis Blues. Halak leaves Buffalo without playing a game for the Sabres; he was the backup to Jhonas Enroth on Monday against the Dallas Stars.

The Detroit Red Wings acquired center David Legwand from the Nashville Predators in a trade for forward Patrick Eaves, prospect Calle Jarnkrok and third-round draft choice on Wednesday.

Legwand, who has played his entire 15-season NHL career with the Predators, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He waived his no-trade clause to join the Red Wings.

Minnesota also received forward Cody McCormick for forward Torrey Mitchell, a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft (previously acquired from the Winnipeg Jets) and a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft.