The Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens have completed another trade that will see a former first-round pick head north. Nicolas Beaudin, selected 27th overall in 2018 by the Blackhawks, has been traded to Montreal in exchange for Cameron Hillis.
Similar to the move for Kirby Dach, this brings a struggling former top prospect to Montreal where he will likely get a better opportunity. Beaudin, 23, has played 22 games in the NHL but had obviously been passed by other young defensemen in the Chicago system. He cleared waivers earlier this month and was playing with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL.
With the Canadiens, there’s at least a chance that Beaudin can make good on some of his potential and help them fill out the NHL lineup at some point down the road. The team did send Corey Schueneman to the AHL today, opening a roster spot, but are expecting Joel Edmundson back soon to fill it.
Of course, this is also an example of the Canadiens bringing in another hometown kid, as Beaudin is from Châteauguay, a Montreal suburb. He was a star for the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL as a junior player and should be extremely excited about the move.
Hillis, meanwhile, is a third-round pick of the Canadiens from 2018 that has had a very odd professional career so far. Last season, when the team was struggling with injuries, Hillis was brought up straight from the ECHL to make his NHL debut. He was back in the ECHL this season and looks like he might be a potential non-tender candidate for the Blackhawks unless he finds a new level of play with Rockford, where he will initially report.
Mostly, this deal looks like it was made to find a new home for a young player buried in the depth chart, one that the Blackhawks had no intention of using.