Rangers Ship Brett Berard to Montreal for a Defenseman Who Has Never Played an NHL Game

Chris Drury is making moves again. The New York Rangers general manager just sent 23-year-old left winger Brett Berard to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman William Trudeau, a 23-year-old who has yet to step foot on an NHL rink. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun broke the news ahead of the 2025 NHL Draft.

On the surface, this is a minor deal. It probably doesn’t change much for either team right now. But it does raise the same kind of questions that have followed Drury around for the last couple of years. The Rangers missed the playoffs two years in a row. Fans are restless. And trading a homegrown forward for someone even less proven isn’t exactly the kind of shake-up that quiets the noise.

What the Rangers Are Giving Up

Berard was a fifth-round pick in 2020. He put up six goals and four assists in 35 games as a rookie last season. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t supposed to be a star. But injuries and inconsistent play kept him from getting consistent ice time, and the Rangers apparently decided they’d seen enough. Ideally, they’d have given him more runway. But the front office chose to pull the trigger now.

There are legitimate holes in Berard’s game. He’s small, plays on the edge, and can get knocked off pucks by bigger defenders. But he also has the kind of motor that keeps a penalty kill alive and creates chaos around the net. Those guys have value, especially in a bottom-six role on a team that needs more energy.

What They’re Getting Back

Trudeau is a fourth-round pick from 2021 who has spent 260 games in the AHL with the Laval Rocket. He put up eight goals and 12 assists last season with a plus-3 rating in 62 games. That’s fine for a minor league defenseman, but he’s never played in the NHL. That’s a risk. The Rangers are betting that a change of scenery unlocks something that hasn’t shown up yet, or maybe that Trudeau becomes a useful depth piece on the blue line.

It’s a trade where both teams are taking a flier on a young player who might benefit from a fresh start. The kind of deal that gets forgotten by the time the second round of the draft rolls around. But it’s also the kind of trade that can look either brilliant or pointless in two years.

Draft Night Looms

This trade isn’t going to dominate headlines for long. The Rangers have two first-round picks in Friday’s draft, starting with the fifth overall selection. That’s where the real story is. Drury has a chance to reshape the franchise’s future with those picks. The draft starts at 7 p.m. ET, and what happens then will matter a lot more than this minor swap with Montreal.

For now, the Rangers are tinkering. We’ll find out tonight if they’re actually building something.