NHL Trade: Maple Leafs acquire Eric Fehr from Penguins
By Dave Holcomb
Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford found his reclamation project after all.
The Pittsburgh Penguins general manager loves acquiring players he sees potential in on the cheap or guys who need a change of scenery. This time, however, it cost him veteran center Eric Fehr.
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Fehr, who was placed on waivers Tuesday, along with defenseman Steven Olesky and a 2017 fourth-round pick for defenseman Frank Corrado according to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun.
Similar to Brian Boyle, Fehr is going to be a solid depth piece for the Maple Leafs, and he brings playoff experience to the young Toronto roster. Fehr scored six goals and 11 points in 52 games with the Penguins this season.
On the way to the Stanley Cup last season, he tallied three goals, including an empty-netter to seal a victory in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and four points, but despite all that success, he doesn’t really fit coach Mike Sullivan’s speed-game style that he wants to play.
Once a 20-goal scorer with the Washington Capitals, Fehr is in his 12th NHL season and has 103 goals with 202 points in 561 career games.
Oleksy, 31, has played just 73 NHL games in his career, but he suited up for 11 with the Penguins this season. In those games, he recorded one assist and a plus-2 rating. He has three goals and 20 points in his 73 career games.
In return, the Penguins are receiving Corrado, a former fifth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks from the 2011 draft. He made his NHL debut in 2012-13, but he’s only dressed for 69 NHL games and scored three goals and eight points. Still, Corrado will only turn 24 in March and is likely viewed by Rutherford as his latest player project.
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Toronto enters Wednesday’s action with a one-point lead over the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pittsburgh Penguins fell seven points behind the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division with a loss Tuesday, but they are still battling for home-ice in the first round with the Columbus Blue Jackets.