20200220-trade-EN

MONTREAL - Montreal Canadiens general manager, Marc Bergevin, announced on Thursday the acquisition of forwards Joseph Blandisi and Jacob Lucchini from the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for Riley Barber and Phil Varone. Both players will report to the AHL's Laval Rocket.

Blandisi, 25, played 21 games in the NHL this season with Pittsburgh, registering five points (2 goals, 3 assists), in addition to amassing 10 penalty minutes. The Markham, ON native also registered 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in 26 games with Wilkes-Barre (AHL). Blandisi was a sixth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2012 NHL Draft (162nd overall). The 5'11" and 187-pound forward boasts 101 games of NHL experience with New Jersey, Anaheim and Pittsburgh.
For his part, Lucchini, 24, has played 53 games with Wilkes-Barre (AHL) this season, collecting 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) and 10 penalty minutes. The 5'11" and 183-pound forward agreed to a one-year, entry-level contract with Pittsburgh on March 11, 2019.
Riley Barber has amassed 13 goals, 18 assists and 31 points in 39 games with the Rocket this season. He also suited up for nine games with the Canadiens. Varone collected 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 27 games with Laval. Barber and Varone both agreed to one-year, two-way contracts with the Canadiens last summer.