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Rangers trade Berard to Canadiens for Trudeau

6/26/2026

Summary

Rangers Trade Berard

The New York Rangers (U.S.) traded Brett Berard to the Montreal Canadiens (Canada) for defenseman William Trudeau on Friday.
Berard, 23, posted six goals and 10 points in 35 games, was cut from training camp last fall, and recorded no points in 13 games.
Trudeau, 23, spent AHL seasons with Montreal’s Laval affiliate, has not yet played in the NHL, and posted eight goals and 20 points in 62 games.

Summary

**Rangers Trade Truce**

The Rangers-Canadiens trade signals a thaw in the earlier friction between Rangers GM Chris Drury and Canadiens president Jeff Gorton.
Nick Bobrov, once a Rangers draft aide, now works as a senior lieutenant in Montreal’s hockey operations.
Both players are pending restricted free agents with arbitration rights, so their salaries will be set next summer.

Summary

Berard, Trudeau Stats

Brett Berard began his career in 2022-23 after New York drafted him and posted 40 goals and 53 assists in 145 AHL games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
William Trudeau was selected by Montreal 113th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft and logged 260 AHL games, 15 playoffs, with 28 goals and 62 assists for Laval Rocket.
He posted 20 goals and 70 assists in 166 QMJHL games with the Charlottetown Islanders.

Summary

Canadiens Acquire Berard

The Canadiens completed a second RFA swap on NHL Draft day, sending forward Luke Tuch to Columbus and acquiring defense prospect Brett Berard.
Both Berard and Travis Trudeau entered as pending RFAs, adding a forward with 48 NHL games and an AHL defense prospect to Montreal’s depth.
General manager Jeff Gorton, who drafted Berard with the Rangers, is steering the moves, signaling Montreal’s shift toward younger assets via minor-league deals instead of free-agency signings.

History

Historical Context

On June 30 1992 an arbitrator ruled that the Quebec Nordiques had to trade Eric Lindros to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ron Hextall, Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, a 1993 first-round pick and $15 million. The deal helped the Nordiques relocate to Denver in 1995, becoming the Colorado Avalanche, who captured the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001 with Forsberg and Ricci. It set a precedent for blockbuster NHL swaps.

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Rangers Trade Berard

The New York Rangers (U.S.) traded Brett Berard to the Montreal Canadiens (Canada) for defenseman William Trudeau on Friday.
Berard, 23, posted six goals and 10 points in 35 games, was cut from training camp last fall, and recorded no points in 13 games.
Trudeau, 23, spent AHL seasons with Montreal’s Laval affiliate, has not yet played in the NHL, and posted eight goals and 20 points in 62 games.

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