The Montreal Canadiens announced Saturday that they traded defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Buffalo's third-round pick (No. 68 overall) in the 2017 NHL draft, which begins Friday in Chicago.
Montreal made the move just before Saturday's roster freeze at 3 p.m. ET. The expansion draft starts Sunday in Las Vegas, and the Canadiens would have risked losing Beaulieu to the Vegas Golden Knights without compensation.
The 24-year-old Beaulieu is coming off his best NHL season, as he set career highs with four goals and 24 assists for 28 points, along with a plus-eight rating, in 2016-17.