SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 11 (UPI) -- The Phoenix Coyotes Tuesday sent three prospects to the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Jan Hrdina and defenseman Francois Leroux.
The Coyotes remained one of the most active teams heading into Tuesday's NHL trade deadline.
Left wings Guillaume Lefebvre and Ramzi Abid and defenseman Dan Focht were sent to Pittsburgh, which unloaded Hrdina's $1.25 million salary. The Coyotes had money to spare after trading right wing Tony Amonte to the Philadelphia Flyers Monday night.
Hrdina is the key to this deal. He established career highs last season with 24 goals and 33 assists in 79 games, was second in the NHL with a .209 shooting percentage, and played for the Czech Republic at the Salt Lake City Olympics.
Hrdina, 27, slowed by back and hip injuries this season, was third on the Penguins in scoring with 14 goals and 25 assists in 57 games. He has a career-high 11 power-play tallies, and is 14th in the NHL with a .560 faceoff percentage.
Leroux, 32, has spent the entire season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, and had a goal, three assists, and 124 penalty minutes in 57 games. He returns to the Coyotes' organization after spending two seasons with their AHL affiliate at Springfield, Mass.
In 249 games with Edmonton, Ottawa, Colorado, and Pittsburgh, Leroux has three goals, 20 assists, and 577 penalty minutes.
Lefebvre, 21, spent less than 24 hours with Phoenix after he was acquired in the Amonte deal. He had four penalty minutes in 14 games with Philadelphia after totaling seven goals, six assists, and 113 penalty minutes in 47 games with the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms.
Abid, 22, also shuttled back and forth from the AHL.
In 30 games with the Coyotes, the Montreal native had 10 goals and eight assists.
Focht, 25, was the 11th overall pick in the 1996 draft, but played just 18 games over two seasons with Phoenix. He had two goals, seven assists, and 80 penalty minutes in 37 games with Springfield.
