Early Monday, a thing the NHL hasn't seen much of during the 2015-16 season came roaring down the pipe - a trade. And for at least one of the two teams involved, it seems a sorely needed one.
With last season's Vezina and Hart Trophy-winner Carey Price on the shelf for the foreseeable future and their formerly insurmountable lead in the Eastern Conference vanished, the Montreal Canadiens made a deal to acquire help in net that should, presumably, help stem the suddenly rising tide.
The Habs announced Monday that they had acquired goaltender Ben Scrivens from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Zack Kassian.
Scrivens, a career back-up at age 29, has a 2-6-1 record this season for the defense-less Oilers' AHL affiliate in Bakersfield. His 3.47 goals against average and .893 save percentage aren't exactly going to get the excitement running high amongst the Canadiens faithful, but he's a veteran presence who can help fill in for Price, which is something the team has been lacking of late.
Youngster Mike Condon played well initially, but has fallen off in recent days and now has a 9-9-2 record, 2.46 GAA and .903 save percentage. Dustin Tokarski has seen just six games of action and provided little in the way of positive impact for the Habs.
He's a player the team is reportedly looking to move.
As for Kassian, red flags were thrown up this past weekend when Montreal asked him to stay away. Speculation began that something negative could be afoot for a player who has struggled to keep his nose clean in recent months - he was placed in the NHL's substance abuse program after being involved in a car accident that may or may not have been fueled by alcohol - but we now have our answer as to why.
Kassian, 24, is a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres. He was dealt to the Canadiens this offseason in exchange for forward Brandon Prust.
Kassian is talented and has the body and mental makeup of a power forward, but he's been unable to put together any consistently strong play at the NHL level thanks to injuries and other issues, on and off the ice.
The Oilers will be the fourth NHL team to try and coax a consistently high level of play out of the notoriously mercurial Kassian.
