Canadiens shipping off Kovacevic in trade with Devils
The Montreal Canadiens have shipped off defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic in a trade with the New Jersey Devils, according to a new report.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli had the first report that the Canadiens are trading the 26-year-old defender to the Devils, adding that the Habs will be receiving a 2026 fourth-round pick in return.
The move relieves a bit of a logjam that has been forming on the Canadiens’ blueline.
The Canadiens have acquired a fourth-round pick in 2026 from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic.
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Kovacevic was initially drafted 74th overall by the Winnipeg Jets back in 2017. He spent seven seasons in the Jets organization, appearing in just four games, before being claimed off waiver by the Canadiens in 2022.
Since then he has suited up in 139 games in the bleu, blanc, et rouge and has picked up nine goals and 28 points in that span. He scored six goals and 13 points in 62 games with the Canadiens last season.
This past season was spent mostly in the bottom four on Montreal’s blueline and is most likely on the move to make room for some of their younger defensemen.
Kovacevic is entering the third and final year of a contract that carries a cap hit of $766,667, meaning the Canadiens will not be getting a whole lot of cap relief from this deal heading into free agency tomorrow.
Rumours have recently surfaced that the team is looking to make a pitch for Patrick Kane if he reaches free agency, we’ll see if this is just the start of the moves that GM Kent Hughes has up his sleeve.
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