Full details on the Brett Kulak trade to Edmonton.

There appears to be a little more to this trade than was originally reported, with at least one additional player moving as a part of the deal between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens. Earlier today it was announced on National Hockey League trade deadline day that veteran Canadiens defenseman Brett Kulak would be headed to the Oilers, but at the time we did not have the complete details.

Here's what we can now report regarding this trade.

To the Oilers:

Brett Kulak - Defenseman

To the Canadiens:

2nd round pick at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft

William Lagesson - Defenseman

It would appear as though Lagesson was included in this deal purely for salary cap reasons, allowing the Oilers to fit Kulak under the extremely limited cap space that they had prior to making the trade. As per CapFriendly, the Oilers only had $1.7 million in available cap space when general manager Ken Holland made this deal which would have resulted in a cap overage when you consider that Kulak carries a cap hit of $1.85 million this season.

Now however with Lagesson going back the other way the Oilers will be able to fit Kulak under the cap. Lagesson is currently in the final year of a 2 year deal he signed with the Oilers back in 2020, one that carries an average annual value and salary cap hit of just $725,000, but enough to make the trade work for both sides.

An additional benefit here for the Canadiens is that Lagesson will be a restricted free agent at the end of this deal if he plays 18 more games this season, so they can retain control of the player if they wish to do so heading into the offseason. Lagesson appeared in 30 games for the Oilers this season scoring no goals and recording 4 assists for 4 total points. He had accumulated 13 penalty minutes prior to being traded today and currently boasts a plus minus rating of +1 on the season.

There's been no indication of whether or not the Canadiens will opt to keep Lagesson on board however and if he does not play in those 18 games he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract.