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Maple Leafs trade Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul and more

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Things are shaking up in Toronto today as the Maple Leafs have traded Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for forward Joffrey Lupul, prospect defenseman Jake Gardiner, and a conditional fourth round pick in 2013.

For Anaheim, they get a defenseman to help solidify their defensive corps and they get a guy who is both familiar with playing in Anaheim and familiar with coach Randy Carlyle and what he wants to do. Beauchemin is an immediate upgrade on the blue line for the Ducks and considering that they’ve allowed the most shots on goal this season, tightening up defensively is a sound decision and one that Jonas Hiller can appreciate when he returns to the lineup.

For Toronto, they take on a bit more cash with Lupul as he’s got two years left on his contract at $4.5 million a year on the cap. That’s a tough bite to take all things considered but he’ll help out the Leafs thin forward unit, especially on the wings. The Ducks needed some salary relief and the Leafs were able to help them out with that.

Getting University of Wisconsin defensive prospect Jake Gardiner in the deal is the youth piece that GM Brian Burke was hoping to land. Burke drafted him while he was Ducks GM back in 2008 in the first round of the NHL draft. Gardiner has a lot of speed and is one of the top players in the WCHA this year with seven goals and 23 assists for the Badgers this year. Gardiner is currently a junior at Wisconsin.

The conditional pick the Leafs got is one with some wild stipulations hinging on what happens with Lupul that can make it either a fourth round pick or a sixth round pick in 2013.

Overalll, this deal appears to be a winner in the short term for Anaheim because they get better immediately on defense while losing a forward that wasn’t scoring. For Toronto, they add a forward who has 20-goal potential and is finally healthy after missing most of the season with a blood infection and get a top prospect out of the deal. You can see this trade turning out well for both sides down the road.