The Montreal Canadiens continued their commitment to the rebuild this weekend. 

Their latest trade, sending Evgeni Dadonov to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Denis Gurianov, is another example of an asset-stacking philosophy – the more lottery tickets they accumulate, the higher their chance of cashing in.

And Dadonov’s value had plummeted this season, instead of landing a prospect or draft pick, which was the original plan, the Canadiens pivoted for a reclamation project in Gurianov – a 25-year-old, former No. 12 pick, that has struggled to find the fit in Dallas. 

With a booming shot, Gurianov scored like one of the league’s best in the 2020 playoffs. 

His 17 points in 27 games, including a four-goal performance in Game Six of the opening round, helped propel the Stars to an unlikely Stanle