Canadiens send Kovacevic to Devils for 2026 fourth round pick

MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens have traded defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils for a 2026 fourth-round pick.

The pick will be the best of three fourth-round picks currently held by the Devils in 2026.

Kovacevic, 26, joined the Canadiens on waivers in October 2022. He had six goals and seven assists in 62 regular-season games for Montreal in 2023-24.

Kovacevic has one year remaining on a three-year, $2.3 million deal.

The 6-foot-5, 223-pound blueliner was a third-round pick (74th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in 2017.

Kovacevic has 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 143 career NHL games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 30, 2024.

The Canadian Press