The Blues have finally answered the debate about which enforcer they will keep.

The club, which re-signed Cam Janssen earlier this offseason, has re-signed D.J. King and now has a trade pending to send him to the Washington Capitals.

In the trade, the Blues have acquired forward Stefan Della Rovere. Rovere, an agitator/enforcer, was a seventh-round draft pick (204th overall) in 2008. He has played the last four season with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. In 230 games with the Colts, Della Rovere had 65 goals, 73 assists, 138 points and 479 penalty minutes.

King, who was a restricted free agent, signed a two-year, $1.275 million contract extension with the Blues in order for the trade to happen. With the Capitals, King will make $625,000 in 2010-11 and $650,000 in 2011-12.

King, 26, was a sixth-round draft pick (190th overall) of the Blues in 2002. He's played in 101 NHL games, posting four goals, nine points and 185 penalty minutes.

King has played in only 13 games the past two seasons. In 2008-09, he suffered a shoulder injury in his first game of the season and required season-ending surgery. Last season, in his first game of the year, he broke his hand in a fight with Dallas' Krys Barch. He returned to play 11 more games down the stretch.

King's departure means the Blues will employ Janssen as their top enforcer. The Eureka native recently signed a one-year, $600,000 contract extension.

King and Janssen spoke this afternoon.

"The bottom line is, the next time we see each other, it's going to be a dandy," Janssen said. "It will definitey make Sports Center top 10.