It’s still early on Saturday morning, but the NHL is already active. The Dallas Stars have announced a trade that gets them veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy in exchange for Connor Carrick and a third-round pick at the 2019 draft.

Lovejoy, 35, is in his ninth full season in the league. He’s a defensive defender whose big-minute days are behind him. He has played for the Penguins twice, including during their 2016 championship. He’s somewhat famous for suffering a gruesome-looking injury after taking a puck to the face.

Carrick, 24, was drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2012. He played 37 games for the Caps before getting shipped up to Toronto, where he played 137 for the Leafs during their rebuild. Toronto flipped Carrick to Dallas in October, and he’s played just 14 games for the big club this season.

The Stars sit in the west’s first wild-card spot. The Devils are near the bottom of the east and appear to be deadline sellers.

From the Stars:

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Ben Lovejoy from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Connor Carrick and a third-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Lovejoy, 35, has posted seven points (2-5=7) in 51 games played for New Jersey this season. He is second on the Devils in blocked shots (77) and tied for second in plus/minus (+1). Additionally, he is second in the League in average shorthanded time on ice per game (3:46) and is fourth overall in shorthanded time on ice (192:31).

Having played in parts of 11 seasons for Pittsburgh, Anaheim and New Jersey, he has recorded 99 points (20-79=99) and a +53 plus/minus rating in 524 career regular-season contests. He has appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven different seasons, posting 15 points (5-10=15) in 63 career postseason games played. In 2016, he became a Stanley Cup Champion while with Pittsburgh, appearing in all 24 of their playoff games, recording six points (2-4=6) and a +5 plus/minus rating.

“Ben is a top-end penalty killing defenseman and he brings a good mix of both physicality and mobility to our backend,” said Nill. “Getting an experienced, battle-tested player who has a track record of performing in meaningful late-season games is important for our group, and we feel that he will help balance our blueline.”

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound native of Concord, New Hampshire was signed by Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent on July 7, 2008. He was acquired by Anaheim from Pittsburgh in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft on Feb. 6, 2013. He was then re-acquired by Pittsburgh from Anaheim in exchange for Simon Despres on March 2, 2015. He was signed by New Jersey as a free agent on July 1, 2016.

Carrick, 24, posted four points (1-3=4) in 14 games played for Dallas this season. He also recorded two points (1-1=2) in four games played for Texas of the American Hockey League. He has posted 34 career regular-season points (10-24=34) in 181 games played for Washington, Toronto and Dallas.

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound native of Orland Park, Illinois was originally selected by Washington in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He was acquired by Dallas from Toronto in exchange for a conditional seventh-round selection in the 2019 NHL Draft on Oct. 1, 2018.