The Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in exchange for the contract of defenseman Shea Weber.

Weber, 36, did not play last season due to myriad injuries, and is not expected to play again. He has a cap hit of $7.8 million. Weber played his last five seasons in Montreal.

“First of all, I would like to thank Shea for all that he has done for and represented to the Montreal Canadiens,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement. “Not only was Shea an exceptional hockey player who played through significant injuries in an attempt to bring the Stanley Cup back to Montreal, he was also a great leader whose leadership will have a positive impact on our team well beyond his time with us.”

Weber played his first 11 seasons in Nashville, making the All-Star team four times. He has 589 career points (224 goals, 365 assists) and 35 game-winning goals. He signed a 14-year, $110 million contract with Nashville in 2012.

Dadonov, 33, tallied 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 78 games for the Golden Knights last season, his first in Vegas. The Knights acquired Dadonov from Ottawa last July for Nick Holden and a third-round pick in 2022.

Dadonov was a third-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2007. He has 265 career points (124 goals, 141 assists) in 413 games.

–Field Level Media