Montreal Canadiens Make Minor Trade With The Oilers

The Montreal Canadiens have announced a trade, sending forward Jacob Perreault to the Edmonon Oilers in exchange for defenceman Noel Hoefenmayer.

If you’re wondering why the trade took place, it’s likely that Perreault was not happy with his situation, which saw him split time between the Laval Rocket (AHL), and their ECHL affiliate, the Trois-Rivières Lions. He failed to register a point in six games for Laval, but he did maintain a strong scoring pace in the ECHL, with one goal and four assists in five games.

Perreault, 22, was originally a first round pick from the Anaheim Ducks, picked 27th overall in 2020. He was only given a one-game audition in the NHL, spending the rest of his time with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL. The Canadiens then traded forward Jan Mysak to the Ducks in exchange for Perreault, and promptly assigned him to the AHL.

Seeing as the Montreal Canadiens are in the midst of a rebuild, the influx of draft picks have led to a wealth of talent among prospects, making players that fail to take the next step in their careers expendable.

As for the return, Hoefenmayer, 25, is expected to report to the Rocket, and will serve as important reinforcements for a team that started the season on the right foot, but faltered in recent weeks. He’s a good skater who has a wealth of experience in the AHL, who can also provide a tertiary source of offence when the opportunity arises. He will be insurance should the Canadiens face another streak of unfortunate injuries that forces them to pillage their farm team.

In 149 AHL games, the left-handed defenceman has scored 21 goals and 51 assists. He signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers last summer, and will be an unrestricted free once the AHL season comes to an end.