The Erik Karlsson saga barrelled towards its conclusion with the San Jose Sharks sending their top player to the Pittsburgh Penguins. As part of the deal the Penguins needed to shed salary, and the Montreal Canadiens emerged as a third team to facilitate the deal.
When the dust settled, the Canadiens had not only re-acquired Jeff Petry from the Penguins, but they also added a second pick and a pair of other players.
The Canadiens have acquired Jeff Petry, Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare, and the Penguins' 2nd-round pick in 2025 in exchange for Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/M83MFp7t7L
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) August 6, 2023
Perhaps the biggest part of this trade for the Canadiens is the team sending Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick back to Pittsburgh (and on to San Jose) and freeing up two spots in the lineup for younger players.
Petry returns to the Canadiens a year after being traded for Mike Matheson, and in 61 games the defender put up six goals and 25 assists while averaging 22:21 in ice time a night. Also joining the Habs is goaltender Casey DeSmith who posted a 15-15-4 record last year with a .905 save percentage and 3.17 goals against average.
The final new add is a Montreal native Nathan Legare, a 22 year old right wing who has spent the last two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins posting 19 points in 68 games last season. Legare will be a big add for the Laval Rocket who continue to re-tool their lineup following an exit of several star players.
It is also worth noting that the Penguins are retaining 25% of Jeff Petry’s salary in this deal, while the Canadiens are retaining nothing on both Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick and opened more roster spots for graduating AHL prospects.
