The St. Louis Blues are acquiring veteran defenseman Nick Leddy from the Detroit Red Wings, sources tell ESPN’s Kevin Weeks.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman brought in Leddy, 30, to be a steadying influence on young defenseman Mortiz Seider and Filip Hronek. And Detroit had taken a step forward this year before a recent slide. But with the Red Wings sliding out of contention again, it was time to trade the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent to a contender.
Leddy does have solid postseason experience with 121 games played, including winning a Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2013.
Leddy has also struggled in his only season in Detroit. He has just 16 points in 55 games and is a minus-33.
Leddy is in his 12th season in the league, the previous seven coming with the Islanders. He is in the last season of a seven-year deal with an annual average value of $5.5 million.