A pair of minor-leaguers are trading places.
Amid a flurry of trades on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens agreed to trade forward Luke Tuch to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Hunter McKown, the teams announced.
Tuch, whose older brother Alex was moved to the Capitals in a much bigger deal Wednesday, was originally a second-round selection, taken by the Canadiens 47th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. Despite his relatively lofty draft pedigree, Tuch never appeared in a game for the Habs, totalling 28 points across 114 games for AHL affiliate the Laval Rocket.
The Blue Jackets’ acquisition of Tuch was their second trade of the day, after they sent a trio of picks to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for two-way dynamo Valeri Nichushkin.
Undrafted out of Colorado College, McKown signed with Columbus during the second half of the 2022-23 season and made 12 appearances for it to end the season, totalling two points. McKown spent the next three years with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters, where he posted 80 points across 184 games.
Both Tuch and McKown are pending restricted free agents, changing teams ahead of free agency beginning next week.
