Wild trade Andrew Hammond to Canadiens for Brandon Baddock

The Minnesota Wild have traded goaltender Andrew Hammond to the Montreal Canadiens for forward Brandon Baddock, the clubs announced Saturday.

Hammond has spent the season with the Iowa Wild, Minnesota's AHL affiliate. The 34-year-old has gone 6-2-3 with a .908 save percentage over 11 games in 2021-22. He hasn't played in the NHL since suiting up for one tilt with the Colorado Avalanche in 2017-18.

Baddock has played all but one game in the AHL during this campaign, collecting three goals and four assists across 33 contests with the Laval Rocket. He was a sixth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2014. The Canadiens signed him in October 2020.

The 26-year-old's lone NHL appearance on Dec. 30 marked his league debut, but Montreal placed him in COVID-19 protocol one day later and returned him to the AHL after he came off the list in January.

The Canadiens were in need of goaltending depth, so Hammond could soon see NHL action. Sam Montembeault has been shouldering the load in the absence of Carey Price and Jake Allen, but he's playing through a wrist injury that may require surgery, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.

Rocket netminder Michael McNiven is also banged up, and the Canadiens had no other goalie in the organization on an NHL contract before making Saturday's deal.

Montreal's weekend schedule also complicated matters. The team has a Saturday matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets and a meeting with the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Hammond is on a two-way pact through the end of this campaign. The veteran burst onto the scene with the Ottawa Senators in 2014-15, going 20-1-2 with a .941 save percentage and earning the nickname "the Hamburglar."

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