The New Jersey Devils acquired Devante Smith-Pelly from the Montreal Canadiens in return for former first-round pick Stefan Matteau on Monday.
Expectations were high surrounding Matteau after he was drafted 29th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2012. However, Matteau’s played 44 games in the NHL with the Devils over three seasons with just three goals and five points over that span.
Smith-Pelly, on the other hand, has bounced around the last couple of season after a strong postseason performance with the Anaheim Ducks (on a line with Getzlaf and Perry) in 2013-14 when he notched five goals in 12 games.
Devante Smith-Pelly was very emotional talking with media after trade from #Habs to #Devils. Said he loved Montreal pic.twitter.com/iWo9c0LvCv
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) February 29, 2016
At 23, Smith-Pelly is still relatively young. He was drafted by Anaheim in the second round, 42nd overall in the 2010 draft and has the ability to be a strong net-front presence for the New Jersey Devils.
He was moved to the Montreal Canadiens during the 2014-15 season in exchange for Jiri Sekac and he’s been in and out of their lineup ever since. He’s played 66 games with the Canadiens since coming over with seven goals and 15 points.
While he brings some playoff experience to New Jersey, both he and Matteau will look to resurrect their careers and improve their game with their new clubs.
Stay up to date on all the trades happening through the deadline at The Hockey Writers.