TRADES | Canadiens Acquire Defenceman Marco Scandella from Buffalo Sabres, Andrew Sturtz from Senators, Habs Send Mike Reilly to Ottawa

Marco Scandella (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

MONTREAL, QC. — On Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens announced a pair of transactions just ahead of their game with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Canadiens sent Mike Reilly to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and 25-year old forward Andrew Sturtz.

Reilly has played just 14 games this season recording four assists. Reilly signed a two-year contract ($1.5 million AAV) with the Habs on June 26, 2019. He was acquired from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round pick at the NHL trade deadline on February 26, 2018.

Sturtz will report to the Laval Rocket after having spent parts of this season with the Belleville Senators (AHL) and the Brampton Beast (ECHL.)

In the second move of the day, the Canadiens traded a fourth-round pick in 2020 (San Jose) to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Marco Scandella.

Scandella played 31 games so far this season recording three goals and nine points. Career wise he has played 549 games with 41 goals and 133 points. The Montreal native is in the final year of a four million dollar contract and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2020.