Montreal has added a depth defenseman to their ranks in the form of 23-year-old blue liner Nikita Nesterov. On Thursday, the Canadiens traded defenseman Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round pick to the Lightning in exchange for immediate help on their back end.
Canadiens add defensive depth with trade for Lightning defenseman Nikita Nesterov
An AHL defenseman and a sixth-round pick are headed the other way for Tampa Bay.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The return seems slim for the Lightning, though Nesterov has played most of his minutes this year on the third pairing with Andrej Sustr. In 35 games so far for the Lightning, Nesterov has three goals and nine assists.
The move does pad the Canadiens’ depth on the blue line, something that’s been a concern for them over the past few seasons. Nesterov not only adds youth to the back end, he’s been a solid possession player so far this year with a 54.7 SAT percentage according to Corsica.
Racine, 23, has seen most of his time in the AHL, having played just one NHL game back in the 2013-14 season for the Panthers. In 26 games for the St. John’s IceCaps this season, Racine has three assists and 58 penalty minutes.
Considering the salary cap crunch the Lightning have coming down the line, the move makes sense in a future perspective. Still, Tampa Bay traded a young defenseman for a player who has just one NHL game to his name so far.
The Lightning will also pay for 60 percent of Nesterov’s one-year $725,000 contract that expires at the end of this season.
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