The Montreal Canadiens caught the attention of their fans on the eve of free agency. A team that had not spent to the cap for the two previous years, was not looking to have any cap troubles heading into 2019-20 either and they opened up significantly more space before July 1st.
The night before the free agent frenzy was set to begin, the Canadiens announced a pair of trades. First, they shipped Andrew Shaw back to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for second, third and seventh round draft picks. Then, Nicolas Deslauriers was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks for a fourth round pick.