The Capitals have traded former 7th round draft pick Stefan Della Rovere to the St. Louis Blues for tough guy D.J. King, according to Capitals Insider.
King, a 6 foot 3, 230-pound native of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, has appeared in only 13 games the past two seasons. Two seasons ago, he suffered a shoulder injury in his first contest of the season and needed season-ending surgery, and last season he broke his hand in a fight with the Stars' Krys Barch, also in his first game of the season.
King was St. Louis' sixth-round draft pick in 2002. He's appeared in 101 NHL games, netting four goals, nine points and racking up 185 penalty minutes.
The decision to part ways with Della Rovere has come as a surprise to many Caps fans, as reactions over at SB Nation's Capitals blog Japers' Rink will attest. The prospect had developed somewhat of a cult following as fans raved about his leadership skills and grit on the ice.
As for King, below is a video of him breaking his hand in the aforementioned fight with Krys Barch. At least he clearly won.