TORONTO – It didn’t take long for the Montreal Canadiens to match the rival Tampa Bay Lightning by getting better before the NHL trade deadline.
The Canadiens got defenceman Jeff Petry from the Edmonton Oilers and forward Brian Flynn from the Buffalo Sabres in a pair of Monday morning deals.
For Petry, Montreal gave up a second-round pick and a conditional fourth-rounder that could be worth as much as a third depending on playoff performance.
READ MORE: Oilers trade Petry to Canadiens for draft picks, fans not happy
Petry, a 27-year-old right-shooting defensive-minded player, is an impending free agent who fills a need on Montreal’s blue-line that already includes P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov.
Flynn, a 26-year-old with 17 points this season, cost the Habs a 2016 fifth-round pick.
The St. Louis Blues, meanwhile, acquired defenceman Zbynek Michalek and a conditional 2015 third-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes for forward Maxim Letunov. Overnight, the Lightning improved their defence corps by getting Braydon Coburn from the Philadelphia Flyers for defenceman Radko Gudas and first- and third-round picks in this year’s draft.
READ MORE: Winnipeg Jets acquire Lee Stempniak from New York Rangers
The Lightning also sent forward Brett Connolly to the Boston Bruins for second-round picks in the next two drafts. Coburn gives the Lightning more depth as they try to come out of a crowded but unpredictable Eastern Conference.
The New York Rangers made the biggest splash on the eve of the deadline by getting defenceman Keith Yandle and more from the Arizona Coyotes for Canadian world junior star Anthony Duclair, a second-round pick in 2015, a first-rounder in 2015 and defenceman John Moore.
At least 10 deals were made before the 3 p.m. ET deadline, but several moves were expected to be formally announced later in the day.
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