The Montreal Canadiens opened NHL Draft day with their second minor-league trade is as many days, acquiring forward Brett Berard from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenceman William Trudeau.
Berard, 23, played 41 games with the Hartford Wolfpack of the AHL last season, scoring six goals and adding 16 assists. He also played 13 NHL games for the Rangers, without scoring a point. Over his career, he has played 48 NHL games with six goals and four assists.
The 5’9″, 174lb left shot will provide the organization with additional depth, and has NHL experience should he be called upon. He was the Rangers’ fifth-round pick (134th overall) in 2020, notably while Jeff Gorton was with the organization.
He is a restricted free agent, and played on the US National Development Team with Luke Tuch and Hunter McKown who were traded for one another yesterday.
Going the other way was William Trudeau. The 23-year-old was far down the depth chart in Montreal at no fault of his own, and has yet to make his NHL debut after years of solid work on the Laval Rocket blue line. He was a fourth-round pick (113th overall) in 2021 and has 90 points (28G-62A) in 280 career AHL games.
