Canadiens trade Beaulieu to Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres acquired defenseman Nathan Beaulieu from the Montreal Canadiens for a third-round pick. Buffalo sent the 68th overall pick in the 2017 draft ( June 23-24 in Chicago) to Montreal for the pending restricted free agent. The teams announced the trade Saturday prior to the NHL’s trade freeze for the Las Vegas expansion draft (Wednesday).

The 24-year-old set career highs with four goals, 24 assists and 28 points last season, his fifth in the NHL. Montreal was in danger of losing Beaulieu in the expansion draft, while Buffalo has room to protect him.

Arizona: The Coyotes traded longtime starting goaltender Mike Smith to the Calgary Flames for a conditional 2018 third-round pick, defensive prospect Brandon Hickey and the rights to unrestricted free agent goalie Chad Johnson.

New Jersey: The Devils acquired defenseman Mirco Mueller from the San Jose Sharks. San Jose got a second-round pick, 49th overall, and a fourth-round pick, 123rd overall. The Sharks also sent their fifth-round pick, 143rd overall, to New Jersey.