The Montreal Canadiens have traded Michael Chaput to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Jordan Weal. The deal is straight up, giving both forwards a fresh start with a new organization. Chaput will report to the Tucson Roadrunners, while Weal will join the Canadiens directly.
After the news that Christian Dvorak’s return is imminent, there wasn’t much room left for Weal on the Coyotes’ roster. The team would have had to waive him to send him to the minor leagues which may have risked him for nothing, though his $1.75MM contract might have been tough to swallow for another team around the league. Weal has shown some real upside over the years, but has just 11 points this season and has now been traded twice. The 26-year old is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, but will try to add his speed to a Montreal team heading to the playoffs and make enough of an impact to draw an extension offer.
Chaput meanwhile has just five points in 32 games for the Canadiens this year and already cleared waivers to go to the minor leagues. The 26-year old will provide some excellent scoring depth for the Roadrunners, but is also signed through the 2019-20 season at league minimum. If the Coyotes did not intend on retaining Weal, they likely swapped him out for whatever they could get.