Francois Beauchemin

Former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. The signing reunites the physical defenseman with Toronto general manager Brian Burke, who was Beauchemin's GM with the Ducks. "I try to play an aggressive style of game," Beauchemin said during a conference call. "Solid in the D-zone, I try to contribute offensively when I can, I just try to be hard to play against." The 29-year-old Beauchemin missed 62 games last season due to a knee injury last season, but returned to play in the final two regular-season games and all 13 playoff contests for Anaheim. ... Read Full Story

To Beauch’ or not to Beauch’ … that was the question the Ducks were facing this summer with free agent defenseman Francois Beauchemin . The Ducks would have liked to have re-signed Beauchemin, but it probably wasn’t realistic given their financial situation. At the time they wanted to bring back Scott Niedermayer and/or Chris Pronger and boost their offense as well. So how close did the negotiations get? “We didn’t have any talks at all,” Beauchemin said. “They were right up on the cap and they wanted to add some offense to the team.” Asked about it Sunday, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle told a ... Read Full Story

While the NHL playoffs are underway, the wives of two Anaheim Ducks are showing off two of the newest fans. Caroline Marchant, wife of forward Todd Marchant, and Marie Claude Beauchemin, wife of defenseman Francois Beauchemin, both delivered their babies on Monday, a day off between home games. According to the LA Times , Marie Claude and Francois welcomed a baby girl, Emily Beauchemin, via a c-section. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces and will join the couple’s son, Samuel, at home. On the other hand, Caroline and Todd welcomed a son into their lives, Bradley David Marchant following an induction. The ... Read Full Story

The Flames, this year, will travel more than any other NHL team. The Flames will travel nearly 89,902 kilometres by plane according to a review of the league schedule conducted by the Star. That’s over 3,000 kilometres more than the Edmonton Oilers (86,772), and more than twice the travel load of the Buffalo Sabres (43,357), the team with the least travel, some of which will be done by bus. “It’s just one of those things,” Bouwmeester told the Star just moments before boarding a plane for his first road trip as a Flame. “You just do it. You don’t have any control over it. ... Read Full Story

Unrestricted free-agent defenseman Francois Beauchemin appears headed for a destination other than Anaheim, while checking-line center Todd Marchant and right wing Rob Niedermayer might very well be, too. Ducks general manager Bob Murray , speaking to Southern California media on a conference call Wednesday after the team announced the re-signing of unrestricted free-agent defenseman Scott Niedermayer to a one-year, $6 million contract, said he had heard that Beauchemin was entertaining offers in the range of $4 million to $5 million per season. “I expect he’s going to get a big number, and that’s the way it’s going to go,” Murray said. “It’s way out ... Read Full Story