SCANDELLA SENT TO THE CANADIENS
The Montreal Canadiens acquired defenseman Marco Scandella from the Buffalo Sabres for a fourth-round draft pick in 2020.
What does it give the Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens traded D-man Mike Reilly earlier in order to open up a roster spot for Scandella, a Montreal native. Look for Scandella to play top-four minutes (with either Shea Weber or Jeff Petry) with the Habs and bring more defensive presence and physicality to the back end. He also boasts a huge point shot, so he could also become a factor on the power play.
What does it give the Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres, like Montreal, were carrying eight NHL defensemen this season so they needed to move one out. Scandella was being used on the third pairing for the most part, so Buffalo should be able to move on here. The Sabres may now use a right defenseman (Brandon Montour? Henri Jokiharju? Zach Bogosian?) regularly on the left side with Scandella gone.
Fantasy impact
Scandella's fantasy value should get a decent boost with the move to his hometown Canadiens. However, it may be wise to take a wait-and-see approach here before committing to picking him up in most league formats.
