updated 10:43 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2007

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings wanted to add toughness and depth up front, and they seemed to accomplish both goals just before the NHL’s trading deadline.

Detroit acquired Todd Bertuzzi from Florida on Tuesday, a day after picking up forward Kyle Calder in a three-team trade.

“We’ve added some size, grit, skill and depth,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “We’re a much better team than we were 48 hours ago.”

Bertuzzi hasn’t played since he had lower back surgery in November — after being sidelined for more than two weeks by a herniated disc. He has a goal and six assists in seven games after being acquired last summer in a trade that sent top goalie Roberto Luongo to Vancouver.

The Red Wings hope to have Bertuzzi in the lineup by the end of March.

“I’ve been feeling a lot better,” Bertuzzi said. “I’ve been doing some work off the ice and I’ve been skating the past two weeks.”

The Panthers acquired forward Shawn Matthias and up to two conditional draft picks in the deal. Detroit will give up a first-, second-, or third-round pick this year depending on how the team and the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Bertuzzi fare in the playoffs.

“Bertuzzi is a huge, talented man that adds the dimensions of size and skill that we need on one of our top two lines,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock told The Associated Press.

If Bertuzzi signs with Detroit after becoming a free agent after the season, Babcock said the team will send a conditional pick to Florida.

While playing for the Canucks in March 2004, Bertuzzi sucker-punched Colorado’s Steve Moore in the head in one of hockey’s ugliest episodes. He served a 17-month suspension after hitting Moore in the side of the head and driving him face-first into the ice, breaking three vertebrae in his neck, giving him a concussion and other injuries.

“I’m so far behind that, it’s not an issue anymore,” Bertuzzi said. “Obviously, I have issues off the ice and I hope people respect the privacy of that situation. It has nothing to do with me going to Detroit, or me playing hockey. It’s just a personal issue that I’ll take care of myself.”

Nearly a year ago, Bertuzzi’s lawyers were seeking to have the civil lawsuit Moore filed heard in a British Columbia court instead of in Ontario.

Moore was seeking $15 million in lost wages, $1 million in aggravated damages and another $2 million in punitive damages from Bertuzzi in a lawsuit filed in Ontario in February while the Canucks star was playing for Canada at the Olympic Games. Moore’s parents also were claiming $1.5 million in damages for “the nervous shock and mental distress” caused by the attack.

Bertuzzi pleaded guilty to assaulting Moore and was sentenced to probation and community service.

The Red Wings gave up one of their forwards, Jason Williams, to Chicago to acquire Calder and sent a prospect to Florida in the Bertuzzi deal.

Matthias has played in the Ontario Hockey League for the Belleville Bulls the past three seasons. He has 33 goals and 28 assists in 57 games this season.

NHL trade deadline      Discuss: Sound off on moves  |  Trade list Plenty of trades, but few big names move Flames spark Cup talk by acquiring Jokinen Penguins get Guerin to help out Crosby Bruins hope Recchi can help in playoff run Expert: Sather's roll of the dice unlikely to work Rotoworld: Winners, losers  |  Blog Opinion: Some solid under-the-radar moves Clement: Biggest trade winners since '90

“Shawn is a very skilled young player who was one of the top-rated players in Detroit’s system,” Panthers general manager and coach Jacques Martin said in a statement. “He is another high-character player who possesses great speed with a scoring touch.

“We also were able to gain draft picks. Additionally, this move also gives us flexibility in being active during the offseason when we look at acquiring free agents throughout the summer.”

Meanwhile, Detroit is focused only on setting up its team to have success when the playoffs begin in April after enduring early exits in the postseason after winning the Stanley Cup in 2002.

The Red Wings are among the NHL’s top teams this season, but they knew a tougher presence from their forwards would be needed in the playoffs.

“Our focus all along was to be a harder team to play against, and both Bertuzzi and Calder will help us do that,” Babcock said. “There are no guarantees, but the front office led by Kenny Holland and Jim Nill has given us a better opportunity to be successful.”

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