MONTREAL, QC -- The Montreal Canadiens welcomed some new players to the lineup this week and said goodbye to some as well. The team recently acquired winger Dustin Brown from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for the Habs fourth round pick in next year's draft. They also acquired Joe Whitney from the Arizona Coyotes sending Mike Richards and Patrick Kaleta packing. "We wish [Mike] Richards and [Patrick] Kaleta all the best. Unfortunately, their time in our organization has come to a close," stated GM Mike Cooley.

 

The Habs also acquired Keith Yandle this week in a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets sending Erik Haula and Ryan Murphy to Columbus. "We wanted to add some more veteran depth to our defensive core, but also knew that we had some depth at center that we'd likely have to part ways with. Erik [Haula] was that center and we thank him for his hard work and dedication to our organization over the past few seasons. We wish both Erik and Ryan Murphy the best in their future," stated Cooley.

 

The team is about $16.5 million under the salary cap at the moment and could make some moves in free agency if it chooses. When asked if the team will be very active during the free agency period, Cooley replied, "As a team, we will look at where we feel our weaknesses are heading into the 2017-2018 season. If there is someone on the market we feel can help fill that void, we'll certainly reach out to them and hope to bring them aboard here in Montreal." Earlier this month, the Habs didn't anticipate any "major" moves in the offseason, but being nearly $17 million under the salary cap, the team certainly has room to work with. Stay tuned in Montreal.