Habs acquire Frederic Allard

The Habs have made a small move on trade deadline day, announcing the acquisition of defenceman Frederic Allard from Los Angeles in exchange for forward Nate Schnarr.

Allard was a third-round pick by Nashville back in 2016 but, aside from one NHL appearance in 2020-21, has played more or less exclusively in the AHL in the last five seasons.  In 2022-23, he has played in 35 games with AHL Ontario, picking up two goals and five assists.  The 25-year-old right-shot rearguard will be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer.

As for Schnarr, he came over in a trade on deadline day last season in exchange for Andrew Hammond.  Schnarr has played in 27 games with Laval this year, picking up three goals and four assists while playing primarily on the fourth line.  He is RFA-eligible this summer but with several younger forwards joining the Rocket next season, he was a non-tender candidate.

Clearly, this move is simply shaking things up for Laval as management has decided that they need some defensive depth more than depth up front.  With Joel Edmundson in trade speculation, Chris Wideman injured, and Justin Barron being injured against the Kings last night, it’s possible that a blueliner will need to be pulled up from the Rocket.  It could be Allard himself as with the Kings’ farm team being based in California, he’s close enough to be recalled to join the team if need be.

Allard’s Stats: