Trade DeadlineTrade history: Montreal Canadiens

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To whet the appetite for trades that may come on Feb. 27, or to mistily remember what once was if this year's activity turns out to be uninspiring, we'll run through some significant past trades for all of the Canadian teams.
 
Here's a look at some significant deals made by Montreal after the calendar turned in a particular season (yes, we're not adhering to a strict trade deadline day/week definition).

The Canadiens didn't do much of significance in the first decade of the official modern "deadline", although they parted with franchise legends Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe in the early 1980s near the deadline, though with little payback. 

1981

Robert Picard from Toronto for Michel Larocque

Both teams thought they were getting something a little more. Picard had reached as high as 65 points in Washington, while the Leafs wondered if Larocque could be a No. 1 goalie. Neither player lived up to those expectations.

Second round pick from Los Angeles for Rick Chartraw

The Habs used the pick to select Claude Lemieux.

1990

Second round pick in 1991 from Vancouver for Jyrki Lumme

The pick was used for Craig Darby, the journeyman forward who actually had two stints with the Habs. Lumme, when healthy, averaged about 44 points per season over the next seven years on Vancouver's blue-line.

1995

Mark Recchi and a third round pick from Philadelphia for Eric Desjardins, Gilbert Dionne, John LeClair

Big advantage to the Flyers. Recchi was no slouch in Montreal, racking up 320 of his NHL points, while the draft pick never panned out. But Leclair, with two 19-goal seasons under his belt in Montreal, would pot 260 in his first 5 1/2 years in Philly, while Desjardins spent over a decade with the Flyers and was one of the league's top 10 D-men for some of the time.

Vladimir Malakhov and Pierre Turgeon from the New York Islanders for Craig Darby, Kirk Muller, and Mathieu Schneider

A bonanza of a trade at the time, somewhat underwhelming in retrospect. Turgeon gave the Habs a 96-point season but then was gone to St. Louis early in 1996-97. Schneider, too, would have one productive season with the Isles before leaving. Muller only played 27 games on Long Island. Malakhov was a fixture on Montreal's blue-line for four seasons, giving the Canadiens the edge in this deal.

1999

A fifth round pick in 1999, a first round pick in 2000 and a second round pick in 2001 from San Jose for Vincent Damphousse

Damphousse enjoyed five more solid NHL seasons, while the Habs really didn't hit on any of the picks. Marcel Hossa, taken with the first round pick, scored just 10 times in a Montreal uniform.

Dainius Zubrus, a sixth round 2000 pick and a second round 1999 pick from Philadelphia for Mark Recchi

The Habs again come out on the wrong side of a Recchi deal. The gritty winger hits 91 points in a season in his second tenure in Philly, which lasts five seasons. 

2001

Richard Zednik, Jan Bulis and a first round pick from Washington for Trevor Linden, Dainuis Zubrus and a previously acquired draft pick

As far as the established players, Montreal came out ahead as Linden played under 30 games in Washington. Zubrus enjoyed some success with the Caps, but Zednik and Bulis each had their most fruitful NHL seasons in Montreal. The Canadiens used their own 2001 draft pick on solid defenceman Mike Komisarek, with the Washington pick used for Alexander Perezhogin, who was involved in an ugly stick incident in the American Hockey League and played two seasons with Montreal before returning to Russia this season.

2004

Alexei Kovalev from the New York Rangers for Jozef Balej and a second round pick in 2004

Nothing comes of this deal for the Rangers, while Kovalev enchants the Montreal faithful over four seasons and hits 84 points in 2008-09, his highest point total in nearly a decade.

2006

David Aebischer from Colorado for Jose Theodore

Goalie swaps are rare but ultimately this one didn't live up to the hype. Theodore was four seasons removed from his MVP season but not yet 30, and Aebischer was in his second season as a NHL starter

But the Avalanche had to figure they'd get more than three shutouts and 108 regular season and playoff games out of Theodore. He would be off to Washington just two years later.

Aebischer was never a starter again, and has played just 40 more NHL games.

2007

Josh Gorges and a first-round pick in 2007 from San Jose or Craig Rivet and a fifth rounder in 2007

This trade is a win for the Habs, and could be even more one-sided down the road, especially if Jason Demers continues to sit or is traded in the coming weeks. He was the player the Sharks used for the fifth round pick.

The reliable Gorges is assistant captain in Montreal, while the draft pick was used to select Max Pacioretty, one of the league's top even-strength scorers this season.

2009

Mathieu Schneider from Atlanta a second round pick in 2009 and a third round pick in 2010

Given that Schneider played under 30 games in his second stint in Montreal. The Thrashers/Jets haven't yet yielded fruit from the picks, but that doesn't mean the Habs didn't err by giving up two picks.

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