Horton, 25, was drafted third overall in the 2003 NHL Draft. He has 142 career goals and 295 career points in his six year stint with the Panthers. He has scored at least 20 goals in every season he has played.
The trade confirmed rumors over the weekend that the Bruins and several other teams were closing in on the winger, as reported by NESN.com’s James Murphy.
Campbell, son of NHL head disciplinarian Colin Campbell, is 26 and is a third or fourth line checking forward who recorded 2 goals and 15 assists in 60 games last season.
Florida, now headed by former Chicago GM Dave Tallon, now owns five picks within the first two rounds of Friday’s draft. Along with the newly acquired 15th pick, the Panthers own the third, 33rd, 36th, and 50th picks.
Horton, who carries a bad reputation about his work ethic, quickly informed Tallon upon his hiring that he was frustrated in Florida and wanted out. He is expected to bounce back in a new city where hockey thrives.
Wideman took a step back after his breakout 2008-09 season in which he was a career-best plus-32. In 2009-10, Wideman regressed to a minus-14 with only six goals and 24 assists. His struggles eventually caused fans at the TD Garden to turn against him by season’s end, though he performed well in the playoffs.
The Bruins, who ranked last in goals for last season, will also look to add more scoring with either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin in Friday’s draft with the second overall pick they received from Toronto last season in exchange for Phil Kessel.
