LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Anaheim Ducks, hoping to make a run in the tight Pacific Division race, have reacquired defenseman Francois Beauchemin from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the teams said Wednesday.
The Ducks sent right wing Joffrey Lupul and defenseman Jake Gardiner to Toronto as part of the deal. The Maple Leafs also will get Anaheim's fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft.
"We are thrilled to be able to reacquire Francois," Ducks general manager Bob Murray said in a statement. "He is a physical, puck-moving defenseman."
Beauchemin, 30, previously played with Anaheim from 2005-09, helping the team win the 2007 Stanley Cup. He has two goals and 10 assists in 54 games this season.
Lupul, 27, has appeared in 26 games this season, collecting five goals and eight assists. He returned to the Ducks lineup in December after missing nearly a year with a back injury and blood infection.
Anaheim (29-21-4) sits fourth in the Pacific Division race, but is just three points out of first. Only five points separate division leader Dallas and fifth place Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina. Editing by Steve Ginsburg)
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