The Canadiens pull off trade on Friday evening!

The Montreal Canadiens have acquired a 2027 second-round pick, originally belonging to the Vegas Golden Knights, from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Jayden Struble.

Predators President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chris MacFarland expressed enthusiasm about the acquisition. "Jayden Struble is a 25-year-old physical defender who will add mobility and a hard-to-play against quality that will help our backend," MacFarland said. "We are excited to watch his growth and look forward to him being a player who can grow with us."

Struble had appeared in just three games for Montreal this season, logging an average of 12:05 of ice time per contest along with four hits and three blocked shots. The left-shot blueliner was not seeing a major role with the Canadiens, making a change of scenery a logical next step for both sides.

The 25-year-old carries respectable credentials for a depth defenseman. Over 174 career NHL games, all with Montreal, Struble accumulated 35 points on seven goals and 28 assists while posting a plus-3 rating and racking up 167 penalty minutes. His best season came in 2025-26, when he set career highs with 59 games played and 12 points while finishing second on the Canadiens in hits with 115. He also has 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games on his resume.

Originally a second-round selection by Montreal at 46th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, Struble played four seasons at Northeastern University before turning professional. He served as an alternate captain during his senior year with the Huskies and helped the program capture a Hockey East regular-season championship during his junior campaign.

The reaction online leaned heavily in Montreal's favor, with some fans calling the return of a second-round pick for a bottom-pairing defenseman a significant win for the Canadiens' front office. Some believe this could put an end, for now, to the ongoing chatter involving fellow blue liner Arber Xhekaj, who could stay put in Montreal.

Struble will look to carve out a larger role in Nashville, where the Predators are banking on his physicality and skating ability to strengthen their blue line going forward.