Defenceman Kris Russell has been traded for the first time in his career, reunited with Ken Hitchcock after being dealt from Columbus to St. Louis on Friday.

Russell, 24, was traded in exchange for big blue-liner Nikita Nikitin.

Russell has scored 18 goals and added 71 assists in 288 regular season games with Columbus, with 124 penalty minutes. The Caroline, Alta., native made his debut with the Blue Jackets in 2007-08, when new Blues coach Hitchcock guided Columbus.

Nikitin, 25, has scored a goal and eight assists in 48 games with St. Louis dating back to his NHL debut last season. The six-foot-three Russian was selected in the fifth round of the 2004 NHL draft by St. Louis.

Columbus is a league worst 2-12-1, while the Blues have notched three of a possible four points under Hitchcock, who took over Sunday from the fired Davis Payne.