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TRADE: Canadiens Acquire Young Forward from Rangers
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- TRADE: Canadiens Acquire Young Forward from Rangers
2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Rounds 2-7 Getty
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 02: Brett Berard #65 of the New York Rangers celebrates his third period goal against the Nashville Predators at Madison Square Garden on March 02, 2025 in New York City. The Rangers shutout the Predators 4-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) Getty
The Montreal Canadiens have officially struck a deal to acquire a young forward. According to The Athletic's Peter Baugh, Montreal has landed Brett Berard from the New York Rangers . In return, the Canadiens are sending fellow youngster William Trudeau to the Big Apple. Baugh's colleague, Pierre LeBrun, was the first to report the full details of the deal.
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New York previously selected Berard in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. The American forward has since appeared in 48 NHL games over the last two seasons. In these games, the winger has six goals and four assists, but went pointless in 13 games with the Rangers during this past season.
Berard has spent most of his time with New York's AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, over the last three campaigns. He most recently racked up 22 points in 41 games throughout the 2025-26 season. The forward, however, previously showed promise at the AHL level with 25 goals and 23 assists in 71 games with Hartford in 2023-24.
In acquiring Berard, Montreal let go of Trudeau. The Canadiens picked the defenseman in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. Unlike Berard, Trudeau has spent his entire professional career in the AHL so far. He recently recorded 20 points in 62 games with the Laval Rocket during the 2025-26 campaign. Trudeau has appeared in 260 total AHL games with Laval since being drafted by Montreal.
Montreal Canadiens Exec has Previous Ties to Brett Berard
Nashville Predators v New York Rangers
GettyBrett Berard was looking to leave the New York Rangers this summer.
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While the trade may not exactly move the needle for the Montreal Canadiens, it is hardly surprising. The New York Post's Mollie Walker recently revealed that Berard was looking for a way out of town. According to the reporter, the youngster was "looking for a change of scenery" after a disappointing 2025-26 campaign. It certainly seems as if the winger wants more NHL opportunities.
Whether Berard will receive these chances in Montreal remains to be seen. The Canadiens are coming off a successful season and are the youngest team in the league . In addition to having a highly rated, young forward group, general manager Kent Hughes is looking to strengthen his roster. Montreal has been linked with Mason McTavish and Kirill Marchenko in recent days.
Interestingly enough, Berard was drafted by Jeff Gorton when the exec was general manager of the Rangers. Gorton is now the Canadiens' executive vice president of hockey operations. He clearly sees something in Berard. Nevertheless, a trade between Montreal and New York is somewhat intriguing. The Athletic reported in 2024 that there was "no love lost" between Gorton and Rangers GM Chris Drury.
Montreal Eyeing Bigger Trades in the Near Future
The trade involving Berard is not expected to be the lone offseason move for the Montreal Canadiens. Instead, the youngster is most likely viewed as a low-risk, high-reward deal to help boost the club's already solid prospect group . Gorton could very well view Berard as a candidate to be moved back and forth between Laval and Montreal in the near future.
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The Canadiens are still attempting to go big game hunting this summer, though. LeBrun recently revealed that Montreal attempted to pry Bo Horvat away from the New York Islanders . Hughes and Gorton, however, were quickly rebuffed. NHL insider Marco D'Amico also claims that the Canadiens talked to the Islanders about Mathew Barzal , but were once again rejected.
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