The Montreal Canadiens added some defensive depth Thursday when they acquired Nikita Nesterov from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defensive prospect Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round draft pick in 2017.
Nesterov, 23, had appeared in 35 games this season for the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning, collecting three goals and nine assists.
He will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and was deemed expendable in part because the Lightning have a number of more prominent players, including Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Jonathan Drouin, who will need new contracts at the end of the season.