In today’s News & Notes, the Montreal Canadiens have acquired Nate Thompson, Collin Delia has signed a three-year contract extension and the NHL has announced their three stars of the week.
Canadiens Acquire Thompson From Kings
The Canadiens traded a fourth-round selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Thompson and a fifth-round pick, the team announced Monday. This deal comes as a result of the Canadiens looking for additional depth on their fourth line.
While Thompson may or may not be an upgrade, the fact that they were able to acquire him for a trade-down in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft while paying him only $487,903 for the remainder of the season should leave Habs’ fans feeling good about this exchange.
Thompson has scored four goals and six points in 53 games this season with the Kings, his first full season with the team after being acquired by Los Angeles in the trade that saw Dion Phaneuf shipped to the Kings in exchange for Marian Gaborik.
Thompson is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He could play significant minutes on the Canadiens’ fourth line for the remainder of the season or he could be used as a depth player who barely finds his way into the lineup and it would still be hard to disagree with the value the Canadiens got in this deal.
The Canadiens would lose Kenny Agostino on waivers to the New Jersey Devils as a result of their trade a few days prior.
Related: NHL News & Notes: Canadiens Acquire Weise & Folin From Flyers
For the Kings, this was about recouping some value for a player who they probably weren’t going to extend anyway at season’s end.
Collin Delia Earns New Contract
The Chicago Blackhawks have signed Delia to a three-year contract worth $3 million. The deal runs through the 2021-22 season and will carry an annual cap hit of $1 million. Delia has been very solid for the Blackhawks this season, going 6-2-3 with a 2.98 goals-against average. Where he’s really shined, however, has been in the save percentage department as he’s posted a very respectable .923 save percentage at the NHL level.
The 24-year-old also went 7-5-4 in the AHL this season with a 2.34 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.
Delia has a good chance of being the Blackhawks No. 1 goalie in the near future and this contract could serve to be very good value for the team if that comes to fruition.
NHL 3 Stars of the Week
Dylan Strome of the Blackhawks has been named the NHL’s third star of the week. The third-overall pick from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft scored two goals and seven points in just three games to help the Blackhawks win all three games last week, pushing their win streak to seven games. The Blackhawks are now within striking range of a playoff spot and could surprise teams in the race for the postseason.
Strome is now up to 14 goals and 36 points in 52 games including an impressive 11 goals and 30 points in 32 games since being traded to the Blackhawks in late November.
Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins has been named the NHL’s second start of the week. The veteran forward has gotten better with age and recently played in his 1,000th NHL game, all with the Boston Bruins. Bergeron would prove to be just as valuable as other in his 1,000th contest and the subsequent match honoring him when he’d score four goals and seven points in four games to help the Bruins to a 3-0-1 week.
Bergeron is averaging a career-best 1.27 points-per-game pace this season and has scored 20 goals and 51 points in just 40 games.
Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues has been named the NHL’s first star of the week. An impressive 3-0-0 record with a stellar 1.31 goals-against average and .954 save percentage along with one shutout helped the Blues to earn their sixth consecutive victory, pushing them into the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Binnington has been lights-out since getting his first opportunity in the NHL and has compiled a 9-1-1 record with a 1.72 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in 13 appearances this season. This is the production the Blues thought they’d be getting when they drafted Binnington 87th overall in 2011. It took him eight years to make his debut but he finally proved his value to the team.