Canadiens make room for Hutson, Mailloux with Kovacevic trade – The Hockey Writers – Canadiens Prospects

The Montreal Canadiens traded defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Kovacevic spent the last two seasons with the Canadiens, playing 139 games and scoring nine goals and 28 points. He was claimed off waivers by the Winnipeg Jets in October 2022.

Related: Canadiens send Kovacevic to Devils in exchange for draft pick

The 2017 third-round pick found himself caught in the middle of a logjam of young Canadiens defencemen — he was the third-oldest defenceman on their roster behind David Savard and Mike Matheson, and will turn 27 on July 12.

Making room for young players?

This move appears to be preempted by the fact that several top prospects are finally making the full-time jump to the NHL. With Kovacevic being a right-shot defenseman, that could mean the team is willing to give one or more of its top defensive prospects a chance to crack the lineup this season. Two of their top prospects, David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux, are both right-shot defensemen. Mailloux got a one-game audition in the regular season finale, picking up one assist, while Reinbacher got an 11-game stint with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL).

The team also has an abundance of left-handed defensemen: Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris and the highly anticipated Lane Hutson. Hutson made his debut late in the season, recording two assists in two games and will almost certainly have every chance of making the opening roster for the 2024-25 season. The team also signed Adam Engstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract at the end of this season, though he’s likely headed to Laval to prove himself in North America.

Kovacevic joins another young team

While the move certainly makes it easier for the Habs to bring in some young defensemen, it also gives Kovacevic another chance with a club that has playoff aspirations. The Devils failed to make the playoffs last season but advanced to the second round in 2022-23 after defeating the New York Rangers in seven games. He joins a team that features some of the league’s most promising young players, including Jack and Luke Hughes, Nico Hischier, Simon Nemec and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey also recently acquired forward Paul Cotter from the Vegas Golden Knights and goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.

Kovacevic will also join former teammate Jake Allen, as the goalie was traded from the Canadiens to the Devils at the trade deadline last season. It’s unclear what role the Hamilton, Ont., native will play in New Jersey. It remains to be seen where he’ll fit on the depth chart among the likes of Dougie Hamilton, Hughes, Nemec, Brendan Smith and Jonas Siegenthaler. At 6-foot-5 and 223 pounds, he becomes the Devils’ second-tallest and heaviest defenseman behind Hamilton.

This trade before the start of the NHL free agency market on July 1 continues to propel the team forward in their rebuild. Just days after a successful draft, where they selected Ivan Demidov with the fifth overall pick, they appear to be continuing the youth movement by parting ways with a veteran player (relative to the rest of the team’s defensive corps). It will be extremely exciting to see what general manager Kent Hughes and his teammates have in store in an offseason where fan expectations are rising and the team is looking to be more competitive.

Related: Montreal Canadiens draft Ivan Demidov 5th overall

With this trade, fans should expect Hutson (and possibly Reinbacher and/or Mailloux) to be on the team’s opening day roster. This greatly increases the chances of seeing Reinbacher or Mailloux start the season with the big club.