Canadiens send defenceman Marco Scandella to St. Louis Blues for picks
Montreal enters game Tuesday 8 points behind 3rd-place Leafs in Atlantic Division
The Montreal Canadiens traded defenceman Marco Scandella to St. Louis on Tuesday for the Blues' second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021.
Scandella has 12 points (4-8) in 51 games this season.
The Blues also placed defenceman Jay Bouwmeester on long-term injured reserve and assigned defenceman Niko Mikkola to AHL San Antonio.
Earlier Tuesday, the team announced defenceman Shea Weber and forward Paul Byron are cleared to return to the lineup for the Canadiens' game Tuesday night at Detroit.
Canadiens head coach Claude Julien confirmed Weber and Byron would be available following the morning skate.
Weber, Montreal's captain, missed Montreal's last six games with a left ankle injury.
He was originally expected to miss four to six weeks of action, but was a surprise participant in practice on Monday.
Byron has been out since Nov. 15 with a knee injury.
The Canadiens are on the outside of the playoff picture, occupying 13th spot in the NHL's 16-team Eastern Conference.
With files from CBC Sports