The Edmonton Oilers have gotten rid of their expansion draft problem, as they have dealt defenseman Brandon Davidson to the Canadiens in exchange for forward David Desharnais.
Edmonton Oilers trade defenseman Brandon Davidson to Montreal for David Desharnais
The Oilers and Canadiens have swapped assets.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
The news came down Tuesday evening that the Oilers had traded Davidson in a one-for-one deal for Desharnais. There were rumors at the beginning of the month that Davidson could be getting a look from the Avalanche, but Montreal grabbed the 25-year-old defender in the swap.
Edmonton needed to move a defender before the expansion draft, and Davidson — not Kris Russell like many had hoped — got the cut. For Montreal, the pickup of Davidson gives them a young defenseman that has the potential to blossom into a very solid blueliner. Davidson only has 13 points in 91 career NHL games, but he’s a bit of a darling in the analytics world as a good possession player.
In return, the Oilers get 30-year-old center Desharnais to help solidify their bottom six for a — gasp — playoff run. Desharnais has 10 points in 31 games this year with the Canadiens, but was injured back in December for a lengthy amount of time.
To make the deal work, the Canadiens are retaining 20 percent of Desharnais’ cap hit in the move.
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