John Ferguson, vice-president and general manager of the
Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Wednesday that the club has obtained defenceman
Luke Richardson from the
Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for either Toronto’s fifth-round pick in 2006 or a fourth-round pick in 2007.
Richardson, 36, is a veteran of 1291 career NHL games with the Leafs, Oilers, Flyers and Blue Jackets. He was Toronto’s first choice, 7th overall, in the 1987 Entry Draft and appeared in 278 games in a Maple Leaf uniform from 1987 to 1991.
The Ottawa, Ontario native was traded to Edmonton by the Leafs with
Vincent Damphousse, Peter Ing, and
Scott Thornton in exchange for Grant Fuhr,
Glenn Anderson and
Craig Berube on September 19, 1991. He joined the Flyers as a free agent on July 23, 1997 and later as a free agent with Columbus on July 4, 2002.
Richardson has played the full 82-game schedule on five occasions in his career.
In 44 games with the Blue Jackets this season he has recorded one goal and six assists with 30 minutes in penalties.