The Chicago Blackhawks have made yet another move.
The team has acquired forwards Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Phillip Danault and a second-round draft pick in 2018.
“Phillip Danault is a young and gifted player who will be part of our core group of young forwards for many years to come. I am very pleased to have him join our organization. As a member of the Blackhawks management group, I was instrumental in the selection of Phillip in the first round of the 2011 NHL Draft. Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann have both been good contributors to our team and I would like to wish them the best of luck with the Blackhawks’ organization,” said Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin.
Weise had scored 14 goals and 12 assists in 56 games this year. The 27-year-old is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and told reporters on Sunday he wouldn’t be surprised if he was traded.
Fleischmann is also a pending UFA, and has totalled 10 goals and 10 assists in 57 games with the Canadiens after signing a one-year, $750,000 deal in October.
In Danault, the Canadiens are getting a 23-year-old that has had trouble getting an opportunity on a deep Blackhawks roster. He’s dressed for 30 games this year, scoring a goal and adding four assists while averaging 12:51 of ice time.
The Canadiens have also recalled forward Michael McCarron and defenceman Morgan Ellis from the St. John’s IceCaps of the American Hockey League.
McCarron played two games with the Canadiens earlier in the season. He was drafted in the first round, 25th overall in 2013.
Ellis has yet to make his NHL debut. The 23-year-old has 12 goals and 19 assists in 56 games with St. John’s, which leads all IceCaps defencemen in scoring.