Ducks Bolster Blueline
The Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs have kicked off some movement leading into the trade deadline.
The Anaheim Ducks announced today that they have acquired defenseman Francois Beauchemin from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for right wing Joffrey Lupul and defenseman Jake Gardiner.
“We are thrilled to be able to reacquire Francois,” said Ducks Executive Vice President/General Manager Bob Murray in a released statement.
“He is a physical, puck-moving defenseman with tremendous character. We would also like to wish Joffrey Lupul well in Toronto. He’s worked very hard to return from a serious ailment and we hope he can get his career back on track.”
Beauchemin, 30, is a big get for Anaheim and was a key member of the Ducks 2007 Stanley Cup Championship club. He played with the Ducks from 2005-09, appearing in 246 regular season games (21-69=90 points with 172 penalty minutes).
Beauchemin also played in 55 playoff games with Anaheim, scoring 8-10=18 points with 68 penalty minutes (PIM). He scored 4-4=8 points in 20 games during the club’s 2007 Stanley Cup run, ranking third in the NHL in average time-on-ice (30:33). He also has two of the three multi-goal games by a defenseman in club playoff history.
Despite sitting in 7th in the Western Conference, Anaheim is a dangerous team in the West, once they get healthy
Lupul has 2 years left on his deal with a cap hit of $4.25 million.
Beauchemin is signed through the 2011-2012 season and has a cap hit of $3.8 million.
