The Ottawa Senators acquired forward Matt Kassian from the Minnesota Wild this afternoon in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2014 Entry Draft.

Kassian, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds, was a second round pick of the Wild back in 2005. The 26 year old will bring some heft and sandpaper to a lineup that hasn't outweighed it's opposition very often this season.

Here is what GM Bryan Murray had to say about the acquisition of Kassian for the Senators and the team's approach heading into the 2013 Trade Deadline:

On what he brings to the lineup...

He's a big strong guy, he's a very physical player, he's a very willing combatant. With the number of young players and injuries we have on our roster, there has got to be a sense of comfort that they can go out and play without being pushed around, which has happened a couple times here so we just felt it was a need and an addition that, given the opportunity to get one, a guy like this, a big guy, he's a young player and we're hoping that he'll work with our coaches and be a real contributor to our team.

On when fans can expect him to join the team...

He'll hopefully arrive in Ottawa on Wednesday evening and be able to attend practice on Thursday and then travel with the team to Buffalo. We think he's a guy who's going to fit a need at times and it'll be coach's discretion, how he uses him, how he plays him, but I've got to think that size and strength is a big factor for us at this point in time, and a little bit of experience, and I think he'll bring all of that.

On how active he will be in the market...

It depends on how the team plays and the needs of the time. We have a number of bodies now that are hopefully coming back in the near future so we'll just have to see how it plays out and make a decision around trade deadline time if and what we can do with the personnel we have.

All in all this is a move that should fill the team's need for a truly big body and add a look to the lineup that the Sens haven't had in 2013.

Those of you who wish to listen to the GM's comments can do so here on this page.