Maple Leafs Trade Keith Aulie To Lightning For Carter Ashton ...
The Maple Leafs and Lightning made a significant prospect swap on NHL Trade Deadline day, trading defenseman Keith Aulie and for winger Carter Ashton.
Feb 27, 2012 - The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning have made a significant prospect swap on NHL Trade Deadline day, with Brian Burke's club sending Keith Aulie south to the Bolts for Carter Ashton.
Both players were playing in the AHL at the time of the deal: Aulie with the Toronto Marlies, Ashton with the Norfolk Admirals. Aulie, 22, was drafted by the Leafs in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL draft. He's a smart defenseman with a bit of NHL experience under his belt, but still has some growing to do, especially when it comes to using his 6'6 frame properly. The Lightning have a need in terms of young defense, so the deal makes sense for them in that regard.
The Maple Leafs get a nice return in Ashton, 20, a winger selected in the first-round of the 2009 NHL draft. He's stil young, obviously, but there's a ton of upside there. His biggest assets are his mobility for his size and his ability to play either on side of the ice. He's scored 35 points in 56 games with Norfolk this season.
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