Habs Trade Nathan Legare to New Jersey

The trade deadline has come and gone but that hasn’t stopped the Canadiens from making a minor swap.  On Monday, the team announced that they’ve acquired Arnaud Durandeau from New Jersey in exchange for Nathan Legare.

Before getting into the specifics of the trade, it’s worth noting that since they were traded after the deadline, neither player is eligible to play in the NHL for the remainder of the season.  Having said that, I don’t think either were in a position to be recalled for the stretch run anyway.

Durandeau was quite productive in the minors last season, recording 24 goals and 31 assists in 68 games with Bridgeport.  The strong performance helped him earn four NHL contests with the Isles as well.

However, the 25-year-old left winger didn’t fare well with the Islanders this season, recording just four points in 12 games before being moved to New Jersey.  On their farm team in Utica, Durandeau fared a bit better, collecting three goals and 11 assists in 26 contests.

While listed as a pending restricted free agent, Durandeau meets the requirements to reach Group VI unrestricted free agency this summer.  With several prospects joining Laval for next season, it’s quite possible that Durandeau’s stay is a short one.

As for Legare, the 23-year-old came to Montreal last summer as part of the three-way trade that saw Jeff Petry briefly return to the Canadiens.  However, the change of scenery didn’t spark him offensively as he had just six goals and three assists in 39 games this season and had been a frequent healthy scratch as of late.

A pending restricted free agent, Legare was likely heading for a non-tender by the Habs in June so he’ll now get a chance to try to impress the Devils in the hopes of getting a qualifying offer.  Meanwhile, the Habs will be hoping that Durandeau will be able to rediscover his scoring touch to try to help the Rocket claw back into the playoff picture.