According to TSN.ca, the Florida Panthers have traded defenseman Jordan Leopold to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a second-round draft pick in 2010; “pending a trade call with the NHL”.

I’ve written about this guy a number of times now. I thought he would have been a great fit here in Boston, and for the price of a second-round pick [the Bruins have three second-round picks in 2010] it would have been a near steal. Leopold eats minutes: he led Florida in short-handed ice time and second on the squad in TOI, and is precisely what the Bruins needed.

With Mark Stuart hitting the IR twice, most recently a return from a broken finger; Johnny Boychuk’s return from a broken orbital bone; the never-ending injuries to Andrew Ference; the ups-and-downs of Dennis Wideman; and the underachieving Matt Hunwick; Boston needs a more depth at D. With a scoring line of 7-11-18, Leopold would have led all Bruins’ blue-liners in goals; fourth in assists, and fourth in points.

And at a $1.75MM cap-hit, the 29-year-old’s salary could have fit within the Bruins’ tight cap-hit if Chiarelli wanted to.

But instead, Florida now gets another second-round pick, this time from Pittsburgh; while the Penguins just strengthened their blue-line and effort in a repeat at Lord Stanley’s Cup by adding the journeyman, Leopold.