Sergei Gonchar to Canadiens: Latest Trade Details, Reaction and Analysis

The Montreal Canadiens have acquired veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Travis Moen.        

Montreal passed along word of the deal on its official site after it was announced by general manager Marc Bergevin. The Stars also confirmed the agreement and included comments from GM Jim Nill about what Moen will bring to the team.

"Travis is a proven forward that does all the gritty things needed to win," he said. "He brings leadership and experience to our forward group and will be an important part of our penalty kill."

Moen talked about the move as well, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun:

On the surface, it seems like simply a change-of-scenery deal. Gonchar, 40, was averaging just 13 minutes per game for Dallas in three games since his return from injury. Moen, 32, was playing a career-low amount of minutes with no points in 10 games for the Canadiens.

Josh Bogorad of Fox Sports Southwest notes the Stars also create some cap space:

Gonchar was once one of the NHL's premier offensive defensemen. His production has dropped off in recent years, but Montreal is probably trying to catch lightning in a bottle for the rest of the season.

At the very least, he'll provide some useful guidance to rising star P.K. Subban.