Legwand departs for Grand Prairie

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

The Baffin Island Rovers will no longer have their longest-serving player in franchise history.  David Legwand, acquired days after the team’s expansion draft in RHL11, signed a contract with the Grand Prairie Stingers which is expected to pay him more than $2M per season.  “When we let David test free agency, we had a number in mind that we thought we could sign him for.  We were prepared to double his salary, and offered that.  That offer, surprisingly, was surpassed.  We exceeded our budget and made a second, higher offer.  That too was beaten.  We made a third attempt at nearly triple his previous salary, such was our desire to have him stay.  Grand Prairie eventually simply made an offer that he couldn’t refuse and we couldn’t realistically exceed.  I wish him all the best and thank him for his 6 seasons as a Rover.  I hope he finds the ice-time that he was seeking as a Stinger”.

Legwand leaves the franchise leader in games played with 393 regular season games, missing only three games in his six seasons with Baffin Island.  He scored 40 goals and 108 assists for 148 points during that time, much of which was spent on the third and fourth lines in the past four seasons.  The new longest-tenured Rover is now captain Olli Jokinen, who is the only Rover left with the team that played during their expansion year of RHL11.