The Montreal Canadiens have traded their playoff hero, Jaroslav Halak, to the St. Louis Blues for forwards Lars Eller and Ian Schultz.
The 25-year old Halak is a restricted free agent, and the Canadiens decided that Carey Price (also a RFA) will be their goaltender of the future. Last season, Halak posted a 26-13-5 record with a 2.40 GAA and .924 SV%. with 5 shutouts. It was his playoff performance that I thought would make him the Canadiens goalie of the future, after leading the team to upsets over the Penguins and Capitals.
It’s been rumored for months that the Blues have been unsure about their future goalie. They were in talks Chris Mason, but he is turning 34, and was reportedly looking for in the $4 million neighborhood. It appears now that he’ll hit the open market. The two teams have been linked in the past to either a Halak or Price trade.
The Canadiens get back 2 young forwards. Eller was the 13th overall pick in 2007 by the Blues, and was one of their top prospects. He made his NHL debut this past season, recording 2 goals in 7 games. For Peoria Riverman in the AHL, he had 18 goals and 39 assists, with 84 PIMs in 70 games. Schultz was a 3rd round pick in 2008, and has spent the last 4 seasons with the Calgary Hitman.
I’m a little surprised they decided to go with Price over Halak, but more surprised by the timing of it. I thought the Canadiens would hold off until at least draft day to pull something off.