Jordan Leopold traded to St. Louis Blues, as Sabres sale begins
The St. Louis Blues have lost three in a row, giving up 10 goals in those games. But defensive help has arrived, along with some veteran presence in the dressing room: Jordan Leopold of the Buffalo Sabres.
St. Louis Blues Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Saturday the club has acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from Buffalo in exchange for a second round pick and a conditional fifth round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft.
Leopold, 32, has dressed in 24 games for Buffalo this season, posting eight points (two goals and six assists) to go along with 14 penalty minutes.
The Blues have had a crisis of confidence lately, resulting in closed-door meetings with Coach Ken Hitchcock and then a second meeting with Hitch, Armstrong and the team’s veteran leaders.
Leopold has spent the last three years with the Sabres, and is two years removed from a 35-point campaign from the blue line.
He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent, and part of what could be an active deadline for Buffalo as a seller. From the Buffalo News, GM Darcy Regier said this week:
“With the cap going down and the new contracts on the other side that have been signed, I think it’s added value to draft picks,” he said. “In some ways, it’s going to be harder to acquire draft picks for players in the event you’re trying to trade a player to get draft picks.”
He pulled a second out of the Blues. Which isn’t half bad.
