Legare heads to hometown Habs in three-team deal

The Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks and Montreal Canadiens completed a three-team trade on Sunday that included several prospects from the American Hockey League.

Pittsburgh has acquired defenseman Erik Karlsson, forward Rem Pitlick, forward Dillon Hamaliuk and the Sharks’ third-round draft pick in 2026.

San Jose has acquired the Penguins’ first-round draft pick in 2024 (top-10 protected), forward Mikael Granlund, defenseman Jan Rutta and forward Mike Hoffman.

Montreal has acquired the Penguins’ second-round draft pick in 2025, defenseman Jeff Petry, goaltender Casey DeSmith and forward Nathan Legare.

A Montreal native, the 22-year-old Legare joins his hometown Canadiens organization after recording eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 68 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2022-23.

As a rookie in 2021-22, Legare posted seven goals and nine assists in 57 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He was a third-round choice by Pittsburgh in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Pitlick heads to the Penguins after splitting the 2022-23 season between Montreal and the AHL’s Laval Rocket. He tallied five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in just 18 games with Laval, and added six goals and nine assists in 46 NHL contests.

A third-round pick by Nashville in 2016, Pitlick has played 123 games in the NHL with Montreal, Minnesota and Nashville, totaling 21 goals and 33 assists for 54 points. In 89 AHL matches with Laval, Chicago and Milwaukee, Pitlick has 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points.

Hamaliuk, 22, spent an injury-plagued 2022-23 season with Wichita (ECHL), recording four goals and three assists in six games. As a pro rookie in 2021-22, Hamaliuk registered three goals and six assists in 44 games with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

Hamaliuk was a second-round pick by San Jose in the 2019 NHL Draft.