Canadiens and Blackhawks lock up in trade on Wednesday morning

The Montreal Canadiens have announced on Wednesday morning that they have acquired defenseman Nicolas Beaudin from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Cam Hillis.

Beaudin is a former first round pick, selected 27th overall by the Hawks in the 2018 NHL Draft. He is originally from Chateauguay, QC. Beaudin has struggled, even to get playing time even in Rockford. He now gets a fresh start in his home province.

He is a 23-year-old left-handed defenseman tallied two goals, four assists and served two penalty minutes in 22 career games in the NHL with Chicago. Beaudin has also registered seven goals and 35 assists in 137 career games in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs.

As for Hillis, he was selected in the third round by the Canadiens in 2018 (66th overall). He has skated in three ECHL games with the Trois-Rivières Lions so far in 2022-23, recording two goals. Hillis split the 2021-22 season between Montreal, Laval (AHL) and Trois-Rivières. The forward made his NHL debut last season with Montreal, appearing in one contest. He also registered nine points (5G-4A) in 24 AHL games with Laval and posted nine points (3G-6A) in 14 ECHL games with Trois-Rivières.

He will report to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Another trade...

Later on that same day, the Blackhawks proceeded to a second trade, sending forward Evan Barratt to the Philadelphia Flyers in return for defenseman Cooper Zech.