The Montreal Canadiens made a minor trade just before the 2017-18 season began.
The team picked up Nicolas Deslauriers in a deal that sent Zach Redmond the other way. It wasn’t exactly a blockbuster as Redmond could have been on waivers around that time if he wasn’t traded to another team.
Remind played just three more games in the National Hockey League after the deal, but Deslauriers has been a regular at the highest level, and just reached a pretty lofty milestone.
Now playing for the Minnesota Wild, Deslauriers is facing his former team in Montreal tonight. It is the 500th game of his NHL career. As a depth guy who never scored more than 15 points in an NHL season, it is quite the accomplishment for Deslauriers to reach the 500 game plateau in his career.
The La Salle, Quebec native played two seasons of his career in Montreal, a total of 106 games. He scored a career high ten goals in 2017-18 with the Habs before being dealt to the Anaheim Ducks for a 4th round pick.
The 31 year old plays a gritty, hard-nosed style of game and brings a physical element to the lineup on a consistent basis. He certainly filled that role well during his two years with the Canadiens as it was surprising to see him traded away while still under contract.
The Habs acquired a 4th round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft for Deslauriers and later flipped that pick for a 2021 3rd round pick. They used that selection to take Dmitri Kostenko, a Russian defender playing in the Russian Tier-2 league.
It is always nice to see former Habs doing well and helping their new teams. Deslauriers was not a huge part of the Canadiens but he played a depth role well and Habs fans always appreciate those type of players.
Congratulations to Nicolas Deslauriers on reaching the 500 game plateau for his NHL career.
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