The Montreal Canadiens found themselves a potential NHL All-Star to bolster their offence. Or maybe not. The Canadiens added controversial forward and Pacific Division All-Star Captain as voted by the fans John Scott, as well as minor league defenseman Victor Bartley, in a three team trade that saw the Habs send 23-year-old defenseman Jarred Tinordi and prospect Stefan Fournier to the Arizona Coyotes while the Nashville Predators added Stefan Elliot from the Coyotes.
There was some confusion when the trade went down, the details of the timeline of the trade became clearer afterwards.
Elliott and Scott to Montreal for Tinordi. Habs now trying to send Elliott to Nashville for Victor Bartley. Being held up at the moment.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) January 15, 2016
Bizarre change. So, Nashville trades Bartley to Ariz for Elliott then Bartley and Scott moved to Mtl for Tinordi and a minor leaguer.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) January 15, 2016
Tinordi, 23, was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, 22nd overall. The Canadiens had to trade up, with the Coyotes, to select him. The 6’6″ blueliner is the son of Mark Tinordi. Tinordi has had considerable trouble cracking the Canadiens lineup with 46 games played in the National Hockey League and only four assists to show. Tinordi has played just nine games this year, six for the St. John’s Ice Caps and three with the Habs. It is believed that Montreal only had Tinordi up on the main roster to avoid losing him on waivers.
Scott, 33, replaces Tinordi’s size on the Canadiens at 6’8″ but certainly doesn’t replace his skill. The pugilist was voted by fans into the 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville as captain of the Pacific division as a joke towards the league for opening the vote for all players. Scott did not want to be voted in. Scott has 11 points in 285 games and despite his All-Star status, should neither help the Canadiens puck more pucks in the opposing net or keep pucks out of their own, especially since he’ll be in the AHL. The Arizona Coyotes now lack a representative to the All-Star game.
Elliott, 24, was drafted 49th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2009. The right handed defenceman has 24 points in 82 NHL games. Elliott’s rights were traded to the Arizona Coyotes back in September for Brandon Gormley, to which he played 19 games for the Coyotes. Elliott had just cleared waivers today and will be off to the Nashville Predators for Victor Bartley.
Bartley, 27, is a 6″ defenceman with 112 NHL games of experience who had been playing for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. He has one point in 14 games for the Admirals, earning only a single call-up to the Nashville Predators. Speculation is that Elliott was a right handed defenceman and the Ice Caps needed a left handed defenceman.
