Trade alert: Canadiens make another move before season opener!

The Montreal Canadiens have decided to pull another trade just hours before their season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The Habs acquire defenseman Gustav Olofsson from the Minnesota Wild, in return for forward William Bitten.

Olofsson is expected to report to the Canadiens' farm team, the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League. 

The Wild placed Olofsson on waivers on Monday, however, no team claimed him off the wire yesterday. The Habs were clearly looking to get rid of a contract in return, and so, they pulled the trade on Wednesday to free up some room and bring the Minnesota blue liner on board their AHL affiliate. 

Olofsson recorded 11 assists in 56 games during his total of three seasons with Minnesota. He was selected by the Wild in the second round, 46th overall, during the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

The 20-year-old Bitten was selected in the third round, 70th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He collected 20 goals and 64 points, and a total of 38 penalty minutes in 62 regular season games with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season and added 11 points in 21 playoff games as the Bulldogs won the OHL playoff championship and advanced to the Memorial Cup.

He will be assigned to Iowa in the American Hockey League (AHL).

The Canadiens made other shocking moves on Wednesday ahead of the season opener against the Maple Leafs. Head coach Claude Julien is sending a strong message to his dressing room on the first day of the season. The veteran head coach is not only sitting Tomas Plekanec, who is looking to play a total of a 1000 games with the Canadiens this season, he is also putting an end to one of his players' ironman streak by making him a healthy scratch tonight. 

Julien has decided to sit out defenseman Karl Alzner, who has played 622 consecutive games in the NHL. He had the fourth best streak in the league, behind Pittsburgh Penguins' Phil Kessel, veteran Patrick Marleau of the Maple Leafs and blue liner Keith Yandle of the Florida Panthers.

No kidding around...