Calgary Flames acquire Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond from New Jersey Devils for Future Draft Pick
Calgary Flames acquired Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, a well know physical forward, from New Jersey Devils on Thursday for a future fifth-round pick in the 2010 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. His contract still has one-year left on it which will
have Calgary Flames dishing out $525,000, one-way.
Letourneau-Leblond was drafted as the 216th overall pick during round-seven of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by New Jersey and has played with them for three seasons so far, but has not played a full 82-game season as of yet.
Calgary Flames general manager, Jay Feaster, was confident that Letourneau-Leblond would be a helpful addition to the club.
“Pierre-Luc is a hard-hitting, physical player who tends to get under the skin of the opposition,” Calgary's general manager, Jay Feaster, said in a news release. “The way he plays the game causes other players to be aware of his presence, and he is willing
to defend himself and stand up for his teammates as well”.
Being brought on board with Calgary will probably mean that he will become a regular player unlike his time with New Jersey.
Playing in between and before seasons with their American Hockey League (AHL) and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) affiliates, Lowell Devils and Trenton Devils respectively, it might be a much better experience for the 26-year-old forward.
Native of Levis, Quebec, Canada, Pierre-Luc, only played eight games during his first season in 2008-2009, in which he managed to register a single assist and finish off with a plus-minus rating of three.
The following season, he played in a season high of 27 games and picked up another two assists, while last season, he participated in only two major league games.
“We want to continue to add to our team toughness but do so with players who are capable of playing a regular shift and contributing within the team concept”, GM Feaster added.
According to Feaster, Letourneau-Leblond was highly recommended by Calgary Flames' head coach, Brent Sutter, who has been observing his style of play for the past few seasons.
Counting on him to play a strong game, Flames' management hopes that these small additions will make the difference in the long run.
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