Canadiens acquire Joseph Blandisi and Jacob Lucchini from Penguins

The Montreal Canadiens announced that they have acquired Joseph Blandisi and left winger Jacob Lucchini from the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for veteran forwards Phil Varone and Riley Barber.

Both players will report to the Laval Rocket.

The move removes two veteran forwards from the Rocket who were struggling to earn Joel Bouchard’s trust, and were more likely to incur his displeasure as both veterans were scratched recently in Laval’s pursuit of a playoff spot.

Blandisi, 25, has six goals and eight assists in 26 AHL games this season with Wilkes-Barre. He also had two goals and three assists in 21 NHL games with Pittsburgh. He centered a top-six line for the AHL Penguins. He was a sixth-round draft pick by the Colorado Avalanche in 2012, and has 101 games of NHL experience.

Lucchini, 24, played 53 games for the Wilkes-Barre Penguins this season, scoring seven goals, and adding eight assists. He was signed by the Penguins in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan Tech, where he was captain. He is a two-time NCAA conference champion. With the AHL Penguins, Lucchini played on the third line.

In addition to trading Varone and Barber after being healthy scratches, the Canadiens traded Michael McCarron shortly after a tirade towards an official earned him a penalty and Laval the game.