chicot60
02-09-2011, 08:37 PM
Ducks reacquire Beauchemin, send Lupul, prospect to Leafs
By Kevin Allen,
The Anaheim Ducks, a team scrapping to hold on to a playoff spot in the Western Conference, made a major move Wednesday when they re-acquired combative defenseman Francois Beauchemin from the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Joffrey Lupul, top defensive prospect Jake Gardiner and a conditional fourth-round pick.
Beauchemin had played for Anaheim when it won the Stanley Cup championship in 2007 and then signed a three-year deal with the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2009.
"We are thrilled to be able to reacquire Francois," said Ducks general manager Bob Murray. "He is a physical, puck-moving defenseman with tremendous character."
This deal could mark the launch of the NHL trade deadline countdown. This season's deadline is Feb. 28.
The Maple Leafs were looking for scoring up front, and Lupul has been a 25-plus goal scorer in the past. He has five goals and eight assists in 26 games this season.
Gardiner is a puck-moving defenseman at the University of Wisconsin. He was considered one of Anaheim's top prospects.
The move frees up a little cap space for the Ducks because Lupul was averaging $4.25 million a year while Beauchemin's average salary is $3.8 million. Lupul's deal expires in 2012-13 while Beauchemin's contract runs out after next season.
This is the second time the Ducks have traded Lupul, their first pick (seventh overall) in 2002. He was included in the 2006 package that brought Chris Pronger to Anaheim. Reacquired in 2009 when the Ducks dealt Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers, Lupul missed 59 games last season and the first 28 this season as he recovered from back surgery and an infection.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2011-02-09-beauchemin-lupul-ducks-leafs-trade_N.htm
By Kevin Allen,
The Anaheim Ducks, a team scrapping to hold on to a playoff spot in the Western Conference, made a major move Wednesday when they re-acquired combative defenseman Francois Beauchemin from the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Joffrey Lupul, top defensive prospect Jake Gardiner and a conditional fourth-round pick.
Beauchemin had played for Anaheim when it won the Stanley Cup championship in 2007 and then signed a three-year deal with the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2009.
"We are thrilled to be able to reacquire Francois," said Ducks general manager Bob Murray. "He is a physical, puck-moving defenseman with tremendous character."
This deal could mark the launch of the NHL trade deadline countdown. This season's deadline is Feb. 28.
The Maple Leafs were looking for scoring up front, and Lupul has been a 25-plus goal scorer in the past. He has five goals and eight assists in 26 games this season.
Gardiner is a puck-moving defenseman at the University of Wisconsin. He was considered one of Anaheim's top prospects.
The move frees up a little cap space for the Ducks because Lupul was averaging $4.25 million a year while Beauchemin's average salary is $3.8 million. Lupul's deal expires in 2012-13 while Beauchemin's contract runs out after next season.
This is the second time the Ducks have traded Lupul, their first pick (seventh overall) in 2002. He was included in the 2006 package that brought Chris Pronger to Anaheim. Reacquired in 2009 when the Ducks dealt Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers, Lupul missed 59 games last season and the first 28 this season as he recovered from back surgery and an infection.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2011-02-09-beauchemin-lupul-ducks-leafs-trade_N.htm