In 2013, the Montreal Canadiens used one of their two third-round selections to take forward Sven Andrighetto, a Swiss forward who could score goals and skate like the wind. He was one of three players from the Canadiens’ draft class to suit up in at least 200 games at the NHL level, albeit most of that time was spent as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
How did he get there? That’s part of today’s discussion and how the Canadiens turned Andrighetto into a future defenseman with star-calibre upside. Trade trees are broken down by looking at each transaction made by the Canadiens. Who they got, what they did with those players, and how they managed to work around obtaining future assets.
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In total, five trades over a decade helped us pave the way to Montreal, turning Andrighetto into a future star defenseman. We’ll break down each transaction individually and see where each player ended up, which teams benefitted from this path, and what the Canadiens landed. Buckle up, as this trade tree will take readers on quite the ride.
Canadiens Trade Andrighetto for Andreas Martinsen
After three seasons of mixed results and spending his time split between the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL), the Canadiens dealt Andrighetto to the Avalanche in exchange for forward Andreas Martinsen. The Norwegian centre didn’t last long in Montreal’s grasp, playing a total of nine games and going scoreless with a minus-4 rating. The trade worked out well for Andrighetto, who earned a spot in the Avalanche’s lineup and played in parts of two seasons following the year of the deal.
Following the 2018-19 season, the multiple stints to the injury reserve left Colorado with little confidence in him playing an important role on the team. After not being tendered a qualifying offer, Andrighetto took his talents overseas, signing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for two seasons before returning to Switzerland. Martinsen was also shipped out, which leads us to trade number two of this tree.
Canadiens Trade Martinsen for Kyle Baun
In 2017, just four days into the regular season, Montreal traded Martinsen to the Chicago Blackhawks for Kyle Baun, a regular in the AHL. He was big, could shoot the puck, and put up a decent amount of points in the minors, but failed to earn an opportunity in the NHL. Martinsen, on the other hand, had a couple of cups of coffee with the Blackhawks, scoring two goals in 33 games over two seasons before eventually moving on to Europe.
Quite the unremarkable trade-off, but the two players were involved in much larger deals. Martinsen was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Erik Gudbranson deal, while Baun’s time in Montreal lasted less than one season. His trade is our next stop, and its implications far exceed that of an AHL player swap.
Canadiens Trade Baun, Plekanec to Toronto
With the Canadiens destined to miss the playoffs during the 2017-18 season, it was time to say goodbye to one of the greats, Tomas Plekanec. Packaged with Baun, the two made their way to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a package that included Kerby Rychel, Rinat Valiev, and a second-round pick in 2018. A sight many Habs fans hope they could forget, Plekanec suited up for 17 regular season games and seven playoff games, serving as the Maple Leafs’ third-line centre.
Two of the three branches in this trade ended shortly after, as Rychel was traded to the Calgary Flames for Hunter Shinkaruk, while the 2018 second-round pick turned into Jacob Olofsson, who is currently in Sweden. Rychel and Valiev played a combined six games with the Habs before their departures, and the Russian defenseman was sent packing in a deal less than one year later.
Canadiens Trade Valiev, Taormina for Brett Kulak
This trade tree is almost reaching its conclusion, but before it does, let’s talk about Montreal’s absolute robbery of the Flames. The Canadiens traded Valiev and Matt Taormina to the Flames for defenseman Brett Kulak, who quickly became one of the team’s three pillars on the backend. Not known particularly for being an offensive juggernaut, he doubled his point total from the prior season with 17 points in 57 games. On the defensive side, he was sturdy and reliable and was a crucial piece to the team for four years.
Taormina and Valiev never dressed for the Flames, but even before that fact, this trade was deemed a colossal win for the Canadiens. During the Canadiens’ run in the 2021 Playoffs, Kulak played in 13 games and aided the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1993. Eventually, as the team spiralled towards the bottom of the rankings in the following season, Kulak left the team via trade, and the final stop of this trade tree, for now at least, was reached.
Montreal Trades Kulak for William Lagesson and Two Picks
When it was time to move on and prepare for the future, Montreal traded Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers for Swedish defenseman William Lagesson, a conditional second-round pick in 2022 and a seventh-round pick in 2024. Lagesson had limited NHL experience and only dressed in three games for the Canadiens before his departure, but we’ll place our attention on that second-round pick. With the condition of the Oilers making the Stanley Cup Final not met, the Canadiens used the 62nd pick in 2022 to take none other than Lane Hutson.
Playing devil’s advocate, the Oilers got exactly what they needed in Kulak as a stay-at-home defenseman. He was excellent in two seasons with Edmonton and helped them achieve some playoff success. For Montreal, they landed a potential game-breaking defenseman that many have compared his ceiling to that of Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. In his first year with Boston University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), he torched the league with 48 points in 39 games, leading his team in that regard.
Related: Canadiens 2023 NHL Draft Preview: Rebuilding a Contender
That brings us to the conclusion of this Habs trade tree, where the Canadiens turned a 2013 third-round pick into a 2023 Hobey Baker finalist, NCAA Rookie of the Year, NCAA MVP, and Best Defenseman of the Year. The 2024 seventh-round pick will determine any future asset the Canadiens get, but Hutson’s future arrival on the team could help elevate their potential of becoming a Stanley Cup contender for many years to come.
