Leafs Acquire Exelby & Stuart From Atlanta

Brian Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Wednesday that the hockey club has acquired defenceman Garnet Exelby and forward Colin Stuart from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenceman Pavel Kubina and forward Tim Stapleton.

Exelby, a 6-1, 210 pound defenceman, played in 59 games for Atlanta this season registering seven assists and 120 penalty minutes. The 27-year-old native of St. Anne, Manitoba led the Thrashers in hits (151) and was third on the team in blocked shots (99). In 357 career NHL games, all with Atlanta, Exelby registered 46 points (six goals, 40 assist) and 511 penalty minutes. He was originally the Thrashers ninth choice, selected 217th overall in the 1999 Entry Draft.

Stuart, a 23-year-old from Rochester, Minnesota split the 2008-09 season between the Thrashers and the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. In 33 games with Atlanta, the 6-2, 205 pound forward registered five goals, three assists and eight points with 18 penalty minutes. In 42 AHL games, he had 15 points on nine goals and six assists along with 38 minutes in penalties. He was selected 135th overall by Atlanta in the 2001 Entry Draft.

Kubina spent three seasons (2006-09) with the Maple Leafs. This past season Kubina played in 82 games for Toronto registering 40 points (14 goals, 26 assists) and 94 penalty minutes.

Stapleton played the majority of the season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. He saw action in four games for the Maple Leafs and scored one goal.