The Anaheim Ducks acquired center Maxim Lapierre from the Montreal Canadiens on Friday for defenseman Brett Festerling and a fifth-round draft pick in 2012.
The Ducks announced the deal a few hours before their 5-2 victory over Philadelphia.
''He a guy who's going to play with some fire and he's going to force other people to get involved in the hockey game,'' Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. ''He has the ability to agitate at times, and he's proven that he can score 10-15 goals in this league and be responsible defensively. And that's what we're looking for.''
The 25-year-old Lapierre had five goals, three assists and 63 penalty minutes in 38 games this season for the Canadiens. He had 15 goals and 28 points for Montreal in 2008-09, both career highs.
But he has expressed disappointment recently regarding his limited ice time and role with the team, according to a story on the Montreal Gazette website.
''Max has been with the Canadiens for a long time and it was time to move on,'' Habs general manager Pierre Gauthier told the Gazette. Gauthier was the Ducks' assistant general manager from 1993 to 1995, and rejoined them before the 1998-99 season as president and general manager.
Festerling has played in one game for the Ducks this season, spending most of the year with Syracuse of the AHL. He has eight points in 83 career games in the NHL.
