Joffrey Lupul is on the move again, and this time he's headed north: The Anaheim Ducks club has traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his place, Francois Beauchemin will make a return trip to sunny California. Also bound for Toronto are prospect Jake Gardiner and a fourth-round pick for 2013.
Our own Anaheim Calling had mixed reactions to the move, but chief among them was a plea from AC's Jen to Ducks fans to vent their frustrations in an orderly fashion:
First, everyone, CALM THE EFF DOWN. This is not the end of the world. Based on some of the reactions I've seen on Twitter, you would have thought Bob Murray took Lupul outside and shot him Old Yeller style.
[...]
The limited ice-time hampered his recovery. How can you expect a sniper like Loops to get back to full speed when he's playing half the minutes he's used to? Yes, he was slowly being eased back, but come on, it's February. The guy needs to play to get his shot back. Toronto will give him the ice time he needs, especially with Mr. All-Star Irrelevant in a slump.
Over at SB Nation proper, Mike Chen examines the trade's effects on the salary cap:
Francois Beauchemin
Cap Hit: $3.8 million
Remaining Salary: $3.650 million (2011-12)
Joffrey Lupul
Cap Hit: $4.250
Remaining Salary: $4.250 million (2011-12, 2012-13)
There’s a swing of 600k going towards Toronto. Anaheim was already around $3 million under the cap, and this will give them some more wiggle room for any moves over the next three weeks while ditching a bad contract.
For more on this latest trade and for all your Ducks news and chatter, stay tuned to Anaheim Calling.