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Canucks Trade Tanner Pearson & Pick to Canadiens |
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The Vancouver Canucks have traded forward Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for goaltender Casey DeSmith.
Pearson, 31, was just activated off of LTIR earlier today. This, in turn, made the Canucks roughly $1.7 million over the salary cap after Tucker Poolman's soon-to-be LTIR placement. Yet, they have now opted to move Pearson and his $3.25 million cap hit.
Pearson suffered a hand injury early on last season and had several setbacks in the process. Due to this, he played in just 14 games in 2022-23, posting one goal, five points, and a minus-9 rating.
Assuming he stays healthy before the start of the season, Pearson is likely to have a third-line role with the Canadiens. However, the primary reason why the rebuilding Canadiens have brought in the veteran forward was to land the third-rounder as a sweetener.
The Canucks, on the other hand, have taken advantage of the Canadiens' surplus of netminders. Before this move, the Canadiens had DeSmith, Jake Allen, Sam Montembeault, and Cayden Primeau all under contract. Their primary trade candidates were DeSmith and Allen, but now the former has been moved.
Heading into the season, the Canucks had Arturs Silovs and Spencer Martin as their backup options. Yet, by adding DeSmith, they have now landed a proven NHL backup. This was a need for the club, and they now have a bit more stability in goal in the process.
DeSmith, 32, appeared in 38 games last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, posting a 15-16-4 record and .905 SV%. For his standards, it was a bit of a down year, but now he will be looking to bounce back as a Canuck in 2023-24.
DeSmith carries a $1.8 million cap hit until the completion of this upcoming season.
Nevertheless, how do you feel about this trade? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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