And the first domino falls.
Brian Burke announced Wednesday that the Toronto Maple Leafs have dealt underperforming defenceman Francois Beauchemin to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenceman Jake Gardiner and a conditional draft pick.
Lupul, 27, has registered five goals and eight assists so far this season, which is a level down from his usual point production; however, he missed 24 games earlier in the season due to a back surgery, which is largely responsible for the drop in scoring.
He scored 28 goals in the 2005-06 season and has exceeded the 50-point plateau twice in his career.
Lupul is no stranger to changing teams. In his seven-year career, he has played for the Ducks in two separate stints, the Oilers and the Flyers.
Gardiner is a former first-round draft pick (17th overall by the Ducks in 2008) and is producing at a point-per-game pace while playing for the University of Wisconsin. In 30 games thus far, the blueliner has notched seven goals and 23 assists.
While Lupul is a player that can help the Leafs immediately, Gardiner looks like he may bring a load of talent to Toronto in the fu ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Kaelan Lupton
NHL Trade Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs Deal Francois Beauchemin Back to Ducks
February 9th, 2011 by Kaelan Lupton Leave a reply »
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