SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Holdout Boston Bruins defenseman Kyle McLaren was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday in a three-team deal that sent forward Niklas Sundstrom to the Montreal Canadiens.

		Fri., Jan. 24 This is an excellent deal for Boston. The Bruins got players to fill two big needs and gave up nothing from the active roster. Hackett is a very good goaltender who will play well for Boston. The only negative is that he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and the Bruins might lose him. Even if he walks, the Bruins still got a good young defenseman in Jeff Jillson in return. What Boston is hoping is that Hackett comes in and plays well, falls in love with the city and wants to sign over the summer. Montreal was in a tough situation with Hackett, because a lot of teams don't want a player who is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. But the Canadiens helped themselves by losing part of his salary and getting Niklas Sundstrom along with a draft pick. They made out as well as they could have hoped. San Jose, of course, gets a tough, veteran defenseman in return for Jillson. And the Sharks don't lose anyone from their roster, either, because Jillson had struggled early in the year and was playing in the minors. McLaren can be a top-four defenseman for San Jose. In the end, this is a deal that might work out well for all three teams. • Melrose's Place

The Bruins acquired veteran goalie Jeff Hackett from the Canadiens and young defenseman Jeff Jillson from the Sharks. Montreal got the Sharks' third-round selection in the 2004 draft, while Boston sent a fourth-round pick in the 2004 draft to San Jose.

McLaren, 25, had 124 points in 417 career games with the Bruins, but he hasn't played this season because of a contract dispute.

The Sharks, who have been desperate for consistent defensive play during their disappointing season, gave up on young prospect Jillson to acquire a more mature defenseman.

The Sharks didn't immediately announce the details of their contract agreement with McLaren.

"Kyle McLaren is a young, physical defenseman who brings elements which will fit with our stable of defensemen for years to come,'' Sharks general manager Dean Lombardi said.

San Jose is 16-20-6-5, with just one victory in 10 games. The Sharks have been dismal all season, and replacing coach Darryl Sutter with Ron Wilson in early December has done nothing to change it.

Like several San Jose forwards, Sundstrom has been in a slump all season -- and now he's the second Swedish Olympian to be traded in what could be a series of shakeups for the Sharks. Marcus Ragnarsson was traded to Philadelphia for Dan McGillis earlier.

Sundstrom scored his first goal of the season on Dec. 28, breaking a 54-game drought, but he has just two goals and 10 assists in 47 games.

Hackett, an unrestricted free agent in July, lost his starting job to NHL Most Valuable Player Jose Theodore. Hackett might be a candidate to start in Boston, where Steve Shields hasn't been overly impressive.

Jillson was expected to be a big part of the Sharks' plans this season, but he slumped in his second full NHL season. He didn't score a goal in 26 games before being demoted to the minors.