Thu, Feb 20, 2020 at 1:37pm

PENS, HABS SWAP FOUR

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired winger Riley Barber and forward Phil Varone from the Montreal Canadiens for forward Joseph Blandisi and winger Jake Lucchini.

What does it give the Pittsburgh Penguins
This trade is merely a swap of four AHL players, though Barber and Blandisi have seen NHL time this season (and seem to be the key pieces being traded here). Barber is a Pittsburgh native, so there will be added motivation from his end to get back to the NHL.

What does it give the Montreal Canadiens
Of the four players dealt in this transaction, only Lucchini has yet to see any time in the National Hockey League. That said, he may not see any action with the Canadiens before the end of 2019-20. Blandisi is a serviceable player at the NHL level (and a star performer in the AHL).

Fantasy impact
There is no fantasy impact to speak of here, as all four players involved in this trade figure to remain at the AHL level indefinitely. None would be fantasy options if recalled, either.