WHALERS UNLOAD COFFEY TO FLYERS FOR HALLER AND PICKS

Disgruntled defenseman Paul Coffey, unhappy since being dealt to the Hartford Whalers earlier this season, was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday for defenseman Kevin Haller and two draft picks.

In addition to Coffey, the NHL's career leader in goals, assists and points by a defenseman, the Flyers picked up a third-round pick in the 1997 draft.In exchange, the Whalers got the 26-year-old Haller, a six-year veteran with previous stops in Buffalo and Montreal, and first- and seventh-round picks in the 1997 draft.

The 35-year-old Coffey, a certain future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, balked at reporting to the Whalers when they obtained him in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 9.

He eventually reported, but made it clear he wasn't happy playing for the Whalers, a team which leads the Northeast Division but had not made the playoffs since 1992.

A trade, rumored since then, seemed imminent when Coffey was scratched, ostensibly because of a sore back, for the Whalers' 4-0 loss to the Flyers Saturday.

"The opportunity to get a player of Paul Coffey's ability, experience and character does not come along very often," said Flyers president and general manager Bob Clarke. "He will be a major asset."

Whalers general Jim Rutherford was not immediately available for comment.

Coffey, who won three Stanley Cups with Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier in Edmonton in the 1980s and one with Mario Lemieux and Pittsburgh in 1991, is expected to give a boost to the Flyers' punchless power play.

Philadelphia is ranked 23rd in the league in power-play efficiency, scoring on only 17 of 137 chances (12.4 percent).

In 20 games this year, Coffey has three goals and five assists for eight points. In his 17-year NHL career, Coffey has played in 1,174 games with 375 goals, 1,043 assists and 1,418 points.

Haller, who came to the Flyers in 1994 in a trade with Montreal for Yves Racine, had seven goals and 22 assists this season. For his career, he has 31 goals and 70 assists.

Coffey was driving from Connecticut to Philadelphia, according to Flyers spokesman Joe Klueg, and was expected to join his new team sometime during Philadelphia's game against the Boston Bruins on Sunday night.

The seventh-round pick the Flyers sent to Hartford was one Philadelphia received from the Whalers in a trade last year for Kevin Dineen.