Canadiens trade Jiri Sekac to Ducks for Devante Smith-Pelly
The Anaheim Ducks have traded winger Devante Smith-Pelly to the Montreal Canadiens for rookie winger Jiri Sekac, the teams announced on Tuesday.
Smith-Pelly, 22, is in his fourth NHL season after being selected in the second round of the 2010 draft. He has five goals and 12 assists in 54 games this season and has tallied 40 points in his career.
"Going from one playoff team to another is good for me," said Smith-Pelly. "I’ll just carry over the intensity that I was playing with in Anaheim to Montreal and continue playing strong for the final stretch of the season."
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In 50 games this season, Sekac has seven goals and nine assists with a 13:49 average time on ice. The rookie signed a two-year entry-level with Montreal last July.
"To be honest, I never really knew what my role was in Montreal," said Sekac. "I wasn’t mad about it or anything, but when you’re changing lines all the time, you have a lot of ups and downs ... It was kind of tough for me, but it’s tough for every guy in their first year in the NHL. I just tried to battle through. It didn’t work with the Canadiens, but hopefully it will work with the Ducks."
Montreal (38-16-5) hosts the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, while Anaheim (38-16-7) hosts the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.
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- Molly Geary