Rangers trade Brett Berard to the Canadiens as the Islanders re-sign Tony DeAngelo

New York Rangers' Brett Berard (65) reacts to missing a shot in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Montréal Canadiens, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in New York. (Heather Khalifa/The Associated Press)

The New York Rangers made their first move of a critical offseason Friday, trading forward Brett Berard to Montreal for defenseman William Trudeau.

Berard, who turns 24 in September, was once considered part of the Rangers' future core but instead gets a change of scenery with the Canadiens. Trudeau is roughly a month younger but has been in the minors and has not yet made his NHL debut, whereas Berard has played in 48 games with the Rangers and registered 10 points.

New York general manager Chris Drury is expected to make much bigger deals. Center Vincent Trocheck has been involved in trade talks going back to before the deadline in March.

In other moves completed around the league, Colorado re-signed defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Kulak.

Burns, 41 signed for next season, his 23rd in the league, at the veteran minimum of $850,000 and can make up to $3 million in incentives, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not disclosed.

Kulak got a five-year contract from the Avalanche worth a reported $22.5 million.

The Islanders re-signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year contract worth $9 million. He will count $4.5 million against the salary cap through the 2027-28 season.

DeAngelo, 30, is returning to the Islanders for a second full season after joining them upon returning to the NHL from a stint in the Russia-based KHL in January 2025.

The 2014 first-round draft pick from Sewell, New Jersey, who bounced around for a decade has fit in well with Long Island as part of a blue line with young face of the franchise Matthew Schaefer and several fellow veteran players. DeAngelo has 54 points in 111 games with the Islanders.

Ottawa also kept a defenseman around for the long term, signing pending restricted free agent Jordan Spence to a four-year, $20 million contract. Spence, 25, was a big part of the team enduring injuries at the position and still making the playoffs, scoring a career-high seven goals and finishing with 31 points while skating an average of nearly 19 minutes over 73 games.

“Jordan was an excellent addition to our hockey club and proved to be a valuable asset on our blue line and stepped up when it counted last season,” GM Steve Staios said. “We’re excited to have him as part of our core group.”

The Senators also acquired the rights to pending restricted free agent goaltender Samuel Ersson from Toronto for a 2027 fifth-round pick. The Maple Leafs got Ersson and Emil Andrae in a cap space-clearing trade with Philadelphia for Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit.

Buffalo got defenseman Olen Zellweger, who also needs a new contract, from Anaheim for the 45th pick and forward prospect Anton Wahlberg. Zellweger, who turns 23 in September, replenishes depth for the Sabres after they traded Bowen Byram to Chicago earlier in the week.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/nhl

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press