The trade-off between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks now includes Tyler Seguin and Keith Ballard, and not just Nathan Horton and Aaron Rome.
Seguin, the second pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, a selection acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Phil Kessel, is set to replace Horton in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final Wednesday. Horton will miss the remainder of the series after being sent to the hospital with a "severe concussion" courtesy of a hit by Rome.
The Canucks, meanwhile, will replace Rome with Ballard, a move that fans have been clamouring for since a second-round series against the Nashville Predators. Head coach Alain Vigneault benched Ballard in that series, turning to the safer, but less skilled, Rome.
Vigneault admitted that there was a "good chance" that Ballard would play, which is about as far as the coach will go when discussing lineups. He is expected to form a pairing with Kevin Bieksa, although the duo has not played together too much.
"It's very exciting," Ballard said. "Coming in, if I get the chance, it's going to be awesome."
The Bruins, meanwhile, have to replace Horton on the right wing of their top line alongside centre David Krejci and left wing Milan Lucic. Seguin, Michael Ryder and Rich Peverley are all options, and head coach Claude Julien may use all three on a rotating basis.
"Everyone just has to step up," Seguin said. "And that's just what everyone is going to ask out of each other for tonight's game."
The Canucks lead the Bruins 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, but lost Game 3 by an 8-1 margin. Rome received a four-game suspension for hitting Horton, and bad blood boiled over in the form of eight misconduct penalties.
A warm day with humidity could affect the ice quality at the TD Garden Wednesday. Julien said the ice looked good during morning skate, and Vigneault said that regardless of quality, it was the same for both teams.