Canadiens acquire Staal for 3rd, 5th-round picks

The Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Eric Staal from the Buffalo Sabres on Friday for a third- and fifth-round pick in 2021, the team announced.

The Sabres are retaining 50% of Staal's salary in the deal, according to Cap Friendly.

Montreal still has two picks in both the third and fifth rounds of the upcoming draft to run its total to 12.

Staal is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Minnesota Wild dealt him to Buffalo during the offseason, and he posted 10 points in 32 games in 2021 for the last-place Sabres, who are expected to be major sellers prior to the April 12 trade deadline.

The 36-year-old has 51 points in 62 career playoff games and won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He provides the Canadiens with quality depth at center down the stretch and into the postseason.

The Canadian government and seven teams north of the border reportedly agreed to lower the mandatory quarantine for U.S. players from 14 to seven days, and though it's not official yet, Staal is expected to be eligible for the new rule, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

On Thursday, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said it's "very unlikely" he makes a trade due to salary-cap constraints. Montreal is projected to have just over $800,000 in deadline cap space after the Staal trade, according to Cap Friendly.

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