TRADE | Montreal Canadiens Marc Bergevin  Trade Forward Ilya Kovalchuk to Washington Capitals for a Third-Round Pick in 2020 NHL Entry Draft

MONTREAL, QC. — On Sunday night, the Montreal Canadiens announced that general manager Marc Bergevin has traded forward Ilya Kovalchuk to the Washington Capitals for a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

The Canadiens have retained 50 percent of Kovalchuk’s $700,000 salary in the deal with Washington, approximately $76,000 until the end of the season.

The 36-year-old recorded six goals, seven assists for 13 points in 22 games with the Canadiens this season. After a promising start with the Canadiens, Kovalchuk had just one assist in the past seven games. He had one power-play goal in his tenure with the Habs.

Prior to signing with the Canadiens, Kovalchuk tallied nine points in 17 games with the Los Angeles Kings this season. At 5-on-5, Kovalchuk scored at a rate of 1.45 points per game with the Kings and maintained the same pace with the Canadiens.

On January 3rd, Kovalchuk signed a one-year contract with the Canadiens. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.