The Toronto Maple Leafs sent forward Lee Stempniak to the Phoenix Coyotes for a pair of draft picks before NHL trade deadline on Wednesday.

Stempniak, 27, was due to become an unrestricted free agent and was unlikely to be re-signed by the Maple Leafs.

The right wing has 14 goals and 16 assists in 62 games this season, with a minus-10 rating.

Stempniak scored 27 goals in his sophomore campaign in 2006-07 with St. Louis, but hasn't been able to match that production.

The Leafs receive fourth- and seventh-round draft picks for the winger.

Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke earlier in the day received a fifth-round draft pick for Martin Skoula, just hours after acquiring the veteran defenceman.

Toronto took Skoula's salary off Pittsburgh's hands on Monday night as part of a deal that saw prospect Luca Caputi head to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Skoula had been a late training camp addition for the Penguins and has played 33 games this season for the club, with three goals and five assists.

"He'll probably be a seventh defenceman [in New Jersey]," said Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman.

Skoula is making $575,000 US this season. The Litomerice, Czech Republic, native will be reunited with Devils coach Jacques Lemaire, who had the defenceman in tow for three-plus seasons when both were with the Minnesota Wild.

"If you're looking to go deeper in the playoffs, one of the things we've learned year in and year out is you can never have enough depth defencemen," said HNIC Radio host Jeff Marek.

The 30-year-old played on a Stanley Cup winner with Colorado early last decade and has appeared in 757 NHL games, with 44 goals, 149 assists and 324 penalty minutes. He's also suited up for Anaheim and Minnesota in his career.

The Leafs also sent goalie Joey MacDonald to the Anaheim Ducks for a seventh-round pick in 2011.

MacDonald went 1-4 in six games with a 3.20 goals-against average with Toronto this season, spending most of his time in the American Hockey League.

He has played 72 NHL games with stops in Detroit, Boston and the New York Islanders, with one shutout and a 3.30 average.

Finally, Toronto sent a sixth-round pick in the June draft to Pittsburgh for collegiate defenceman Chris Peluso. Peluso plays for Bemjidi State in Minnesota.