Rangers trade Berard to Canadiens for Trudeau

A player long expected to be on the move was finally traded on Friday, as the New York Rangers have dealt winger Brett Berard to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for minor-league defenseman William Trudeau.

Berard was a fifth-round selection by the Rangers with the No. 134 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, and while he excelled with New York’s AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack early in his pro career and flashed in his first taste of NHL action in 2024-25, the Rhode Island native took a step back this season.

The Providence College product posted 48 points in 71 games in his first full AHL season in 2023-24, and he followed that up with 23 points in 30 contests the following year. While in the NHL that season, Berard tallied six goals and four assists for 10 points in 35 appearances.

The regression that came this season is clearly borne out in Berard’s numbers, both in the AHL where he slipped to 22 points in 41 games, and in the NHL, where he was held pointless across 13 appearances for the Rangers.

Heading back to New York in return is Trudeau, a 23-year-old defenseman who was a fourth-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft by Montreal. Trudeau spent three years with the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL, compiling 70 points across 166 career major-junior games.

He then turned pro with the Canadiens’ organization, and he’s spent the entirety of his last four years with their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Most recently, Trudeau put up 20 points (8 goals and 12 assists) in 62 appearances this past season.

In his pro career, he has 90 points in 260 carer contests to go with a plus-19 rating. Trudeau is a restricted free agent in need of a new contract for next season. As of right now, according to PuckPedia, Jackson Dorrington is the only non-roster defenseman in the Rangers’ pipeline signed to a deal for next year.