Leafs acquire veteran forward Eric Fehr from Penguins
Toronto sends defenceman Frank Corrado to Stanley Cup champions
It appears Mike Babcock has another big-bodied forward with experience to lean on should his Toronto Maple Leafs secure a playoff berth.
The veteran NHL head coach was with his team in Los Angeles ahead of Wednesday's trade deadline while general manager Lou Lamoriello was in his Air Canada Centre office adding six-foot-four, 212-pound centre/right-winger Eric Fehr to one of the league's younger lineups.
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The Leafs also receive defenceman Steve Oleksy and a 2017 fourth-round draft pick for blue-liner Frank Corrado, who never played a regular role under Babcock after Toronto claimed him off waivers from Vancouver in October 2015.
On Monday, Lamoriello sent American Hockey League forward Byron Froese and a conditional second-round pick in this June's draft to Tampa Bay for six-foot-six, 245-pound forward Brian Boyle.
Fehr, 31, appeared to be on his way to Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., after clearing waivers earlier on Wednesday.
But Lamoriello swooped in and acquired Fehr, who had 11 points and a plus-3 rating in 51 games this season for the Penguins. Of his six goals, three were game-winners.
A healthy scratch on three separate occasions this season, the native of Winkler, Man., had been playing the right side of late with left-winger Tom Kuhnhackl and centre Matt Cullen in Pittsburgh. He has one season left on his contract at $2 million US.
Playoff experience
Fehr, who's in his 12th NHL season, has compiled 103 goals and 202 points in 561 regular-season games and is a career plus-52.
He has appeared in 60 playoff contests over seven seasons, including 23 last spring in which Fehr collected three goals (two game-winners) and four points while averaging 11 minutes 39 seconds of ice time.
Oleksy, 31, played 11 games with Pittsburgh this year but spent most of his time in the AHL. He has played 73 games in the NHL with Washington and Pittsburgh, compiling 20 points and 110 penalty minutes.
Corrado, 23, played only two games this season for the Maple Leafs after signing a one-year deal to stay with the team last summer.
After clearing waivers and being sent to Toronto's AHL affiliate in early February, he has settled in with the Marlies and amassed 11 points in his first 15 games.
Toronto awoke Wednesday in the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 28-21-13 record for 69 points, one more than the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers, who acquired scoring winger Thomas Vanek from Detroit on Wednesday.