Let the trades begin.
The first move of the 2010 NHL Trade Deadline was indeed made by the Florida Panthers, which is who CBC Sports’ Jeff Marek opined might be the case last night on Twitter. Jordan Leopold has been traded by the Panthers to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for a 2010 second-round draft pick, according to George Richards from On Frozen Pond.
It’s also a nice pickup by the Penguins who are tight against the cap and need to make space, so there’s going to have to be another move made. The Pens now have eight defensemen under contract, and there’s a good chance that Alex Goligoski is the one to go.
Leopold is scheduled to become a free agent this summer, after signing a one-year contract last summer.
If you remember, Leopold was part if the trade that sent Jay Bouwmeester to the Calgary Flames. So, in exchange for losing one of the top defensemen in the NHL, the Panthers have essentially acquired a second and third-round draft pick overall (the third rounder was used last year to pick up Josh Birkholz of the USHL). That’s some tough moves for Randy Sexton and the Panthers, losing two quality defensemen at the deadline for essentially a hope they can draft well.