TORONTO (Reuters) - The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired forward Matthew Lombardi and defenseman Cody Franson from the Nashville Predators on Sunday, in exchange for defenseman Brett Lebda and prospect Robert Slaney.
Looking for more offense, the Leafs rolled the dice on the speedy Lombardi, who played just two games last season due to a concussion but a year earlier scored 19 goals while setting career highs in assists (34) and points (53) with the Phoenix Coyotes.
Selected in the third round of the 2002 NHL draft by the Calgary Flames, Lombardi has 89 goals, 147 assists with 275 penalty minutes in 446 career games.
The Leafs also added some depth to their blueline with the addition of the hulking 23-year-old Franson, who registered career highs in goals (8), assists (21), points (29) and penalty minutes (30) last season.
In Lebda, the Predators get a mobile defenseman who never found a regular job in Toronto, scoring just one goal and three assists in 41 games.
(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Alan Baldwin)
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