Canadiens make separate deals with Kings, Sharks for defencemen Allard, Sund

The Montreal Canadiens acquired the rights to two defencemen ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline, making separate deals with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks on Friday.

Montreal received defenceman Frederic Allard from L.A. for forward Nate Schnarr.

The Habs then acquired defenceman Tony Sund, who is currently playing in Sweden, and a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft, from the Sharks in a three-team trade that also involved the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sund is a 27-year-old defenceman has a goal and eight assists in 40 SHL games this season.

Allard, 25, scored two goals and added five assists in 35 games with the American Hockey League’s Ontario Reign this season.

The native of Saint-Sauveur, Que., was selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round, 78th overall, of the 2016 draft.

Schnarr, 24, has three goals and four assists in 27 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket this season. He was drafted in the third round, 75th overall, by the Arizona Coyotes.

Jets acquire centre Vladislav Namestnikov

The Winnipeg Jets acquired Vladislav Namestnikov from the San Jose Sharks on Friday for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft.

Namestnikov has registered 113 goals and 251 points in 610 career games with the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Lightning.

The Russian forward and pending unrestricted free agent has added six goals and five assists in 48 playoff appearances.

Selected with the 27th pick at the 2011 draft by Tampa Bay, Namestnikov joins a Winnipeg team that has dropped six of its last seven games.

Canucks deal Curtis Lazar to Devils

The Vancouver Canucks dealt forward Curtis Lazar to the New Jersey Devils for a fourth-round pick at the 2024 draft on Friday.

Lazar had three goals and two assists in 45 games with the Canucks in 2022-23.

Selected by the Senators with the 17th overall pick in 2013, Lazar has registered 38 goals and 95 points in 449 regular-season games with Ottawa, Calgary, Buffalo, Boston and Vancouver.

He’s added a goal and an assist in 24 playoff appearances.

The Canucks signed the unrestricted free agent from Salmon Arm, B.C., to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $1 million US in July.

“[Lazar] brought a lot of great energy and a positive attitude to the rink every day,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a release. “We wish him the best of luck in New Jersey.”

Vrana to Blues, Bonino to Penguins

In other trade deadline deals, the Detroit Red Wings traded winger Jakub Vrana to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for fellow forward Dylan McLaughlin and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and the Pittsburgh Penguins re-acquired centre Nick Bonino from the San Jose Sharks.

Vrana, 27, has collected a goal and an assist in five games this season. He entered the player assistance program in October before being released in December.

Also on Friday, the Los Angeles Kings acquired Zack MacEwen from the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday in exchange for fellow forward Brendan Lemieux and a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

MacEwen, 26, has recorded nine points (four goals, five assists) in 46 games this season. He had just been activated off injured reserve on Thursday.

The calm after the storm

The relative calm was in stark contrast to the last few weeks — especially since Sunday — as GMs across the NHL made a flurry of trades.

Surprise moves saw Jakob Chychrun head to the Ottawa Senators from the Arizona Coyotes, while Jonathan Quick was dealt away from the Los Angeles Kings before eventually ending up with the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Leafs have been by far the busiest Canadian team in the lead-up to the deadline, making five trades and adding six players since the middle of February.

“Particularly this year, the calls started way earlier,” Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said this week after trading Chychrun to Ottawa. “I don’t know why that is. I think teams want to get the player they want situated, and they don’t want to wait until the last moment to do so. I do believe there’s a change when teams are negotiating.

“They’re not waiting until the final day. They’re pursuing three weeks out.”