Montreal Canadiens Trade Andrew Shaw to Chicago Blackhawks

Fresh of the press, the Montreal Canadiens have just announced that they have traded winger Andrew Shaw and a 7th round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft to the Chicago Blackhawks in return for a 2nd round pick and 7th round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and a 3rd round pick in 2021 NHL Draft. 

The Montreal Canadiens have announced this evening that winger Andrew Shaw has been traded back to the Chicago Blackhawks. Shaw was originally acquired from the Blackhawks for a per fo second round picks in 2016.

Andrew Shaw is also coming off of a career year, tallying 19 goals and 28 assists for a total of 47 points. It makes sense that if the Canadiens were to move Shaw, they would do it when his value is highest. If he cannot play for Montreal, Shaw will certainly love being back with his original team in Chicago where he won two Stanley Cups alongside Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

What Does this Mean for the Canadiens?

Making this trade less than 24 hours before the start of Free Agency will surely lead to speculation by fans and media alike. Andrew Shaw carried a 3.9$ million-dollar contract for another three years. This could very well mean that Marc Bergevin and the Montreal Canadiens intend to make a big splash on Canada Day. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen but with over $12.6 million available, it would be hard to see Marc Bergevin sitting idly.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun stated that Shaw was initially unavailable for trade last week but things changed in the past 24 hours.

Purely speculating, this could be indicating that the Canadiens have an agreement in place with a UFA, potentially Matt Duchene, Jake Gardiner or Anders Lee. On a cheaper note, the Canadiens may be considering signing Wayne Simmonds or Corey Perry.

The extra cap space will also help in signing RFA’s Artturi Lehkonen and Joël Armia, two players who are important to the Canadiens two-way game.

Andrew Shaw will surely be missed by his teammates and fans alike. Although he suffered from injuries during his time with the Canadiens, Shaw gave it his all every game that he played, earning the respect of his teammates and coaching staff.