Guillaume Latendresse only has three points in 23 games this season. (Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

The Montreal Canadiens traded Guillaume Latendresse to Minnesota for fellow left-winger Benoit Pouliot on Monday.

The Habs are also giving Sergei Kostitsyn another shot, recalling the left-winger from the American Hockey League's Hamilton Bulldogs.

The struggling Latendresse only has two goals and an assist in 23 games this season. An equally struggling Pouliot has two goals and two assists in 14 games.

He has split time between Minnesota and its AHL affiliate in Houston. Pouliot had five goals and six assists in 37 games last season for the big club, and nine goals and 15 assists in 30 games for Houston.

"We definitely were not surprised [by the trade] but not necessarily expecting it," Pouliot's agent, Kent Hughes, said by phone in an interview with CBCSports.ca.

When asked if the fourth-year NHLer had been given a fair shot to earn a full-time role with Minnesota under rookie head coach Todd Richards, Hughes didn't wish to get into specifics.

"I don't want to get into pointing fingers at anybody," he said. "At this point, he's moving to a new organization and needs a fresh start."

Earlier this month, Richards told the Star-Tribune in Minnesota he wanted Pouliot to play harder, be more competitive and more physical.

"When he goes into corners, he can't be turning away from bodies. He's got to go in, and he's got to finish [his checks]," Richards told the Star-Tribune.

Nearing a return

Out since Nov. 15 with an upper-body injury, Pouliot could be ready for game action as early as this weekend, according to Hughes, who believes his client could add some much-needed offence to the Canadiens' lineup.

"He also brings an element of size that their key offensive players [like Mike Cammalleri and Scott Gomez] don't have," Hughes said of the six-foot-three, 200-pound Pouliot.

"I think Ben's a gifted forward that has a beautiful skating stride. If he challenges himself to produce offensively and has the confidence to go out and try to beat [opposing players], then it'll go a long way to help him achieve his potential and help Montreal."

Latendresse was drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft by Montreal, and cracked the lineup in 2006-07, impressing the Canadiens in his rookie year by scoring 16 goals and 13 assists in 80 games.

But he hasn't hit that point total in the past two seasons, tallying 27 in 2007-08 and 26 in 2008-09.

Latendresse and Pouliot were teammates on Canada's gold medal-winning world junior squad in 2006.

"Probably both players will benefit from a change of scenery," Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "They're both young players that have had a lot of expectations on them. Sometimes players will work out better in certain spots."

Pouliot grew up near Montreal and said he is looking forward to back to Quebec — despite at the time being indifferent about the chance of becoming a Canadien in the 2005 draft.

"I was 18 at the time," Pouliot said. "Today, I'm 23. I'm more mature and I regret what I said."

The disgruntled Kostitsyn was sent down after training camp was finished, and has four goals and nine assists in 16 games this season for the Bulldogs.

With files from The Canadian Press