The Montreal Canadiens didn’t waste any time getting this deal done and signed. Earlier, the Habs chose to send restricted free agent Kerby Rychel to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Hunter Shinkaruk. The reason for the trade most likely stemmed from difficulties in getting Rychel signed. Whether it was because of his demand or a fit on the team for the following season, moving on from him made sense for the organization.
In return, the Habs received fellow 2013 first-round pick Hunter Shinkaruk who was also an RFA. But contract negotiations didn’t take as long as they did with the other free agents Montreal had heading into this season.