Kent Hughes trades defenseman Justin Barron
Earlier this evening, the New York Rangers traded forward Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken while Pierre-Olivier Joseph was sent back to the Pittsburgh Penguins by the St. Louis Blues.
Well, it seems like the Montreal Canadiens' GM, Kent Hughes, has decided to work late as well tonight. In fact, a trade was just announced by the team as defenseman Justin Barron is heading to the Western Conference.
The 23-year-old was sent to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Alexandre Carrier.
Carrier is a Quebec-born player who has been with the Preds his entire career so far. He was drafted by Nashville back in 2015. He was selected in the 4th round of the draft, 115th overall.
In 245 games played in the NHL, Carrier has scored 11 goals and added 58 assists for a total of 69 points. So far this season, he has seven points in 28 outings.
On Barron's side, he was acquired by the Habs from the Avalanche in March 2022 in the trade that sent Artturi Lehkonen to the Colorado.
Selected in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft by the Avalanche, Barron has played 17 games with the Habs' uniform in 2024-25, getting only one point. In 111 games in the Bettman circuit, he has 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points.
As explained by hockey insiders Eric Engels and Renaud Lavoie, Hughes has filled an important need on Montreal's blue line as most of the defensemen were left handed. It will be interesting to see how Martin St. Louis will use Carrier as he had a significant impact on the penalty kill of the Predators.
Who won the trade?
| POLL | ||
Who won the trade? | ||
| Montreal Canadiens | 74 | 56.9 % |
| Nashville Predators | 12 | 9.2 % |
| Both teams | 44 | 33.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
