On the first day of NHL Draft weekend, the Rangers moved on from Brett Berard by trading him to the Canadiens for William Trudeau.

Following a rookie season that saw him tally six goals and four assists for 10 points in 35 games under former head coach Peter Laviolette, the 23-year-old Berard never got much of an opportunity under Mike Sullivan. In 13 games, he didn’t register a single point in two different stints.

Most mystifying was Sullivan’s insistence on continuing to play veteran Conor Sheary at the conclusion of another disappointing season that saw the Rangers finish last in the Eastern Conference. It didn’t make sense for Berard not to play. Call it another organizational failure when it came to a prospect.

Even though the small in stature Berard has a limited ceiling due to defensive deficiencies, he’ll likely get a better chance with the Canadiens. It was under former Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton that he was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 Draft. Following the season, Berard asked for a trade. The Rangers granted that wish by sending him to a better team that lost to the eventual champion Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With Berard gone, current team president and GM Chris Drury recovered defenseman Trudeau. A left shooting defenseman who plays with some edge, the 2021 fourth round pick has never played in the NHL.

In fact, the 23-year-old Trudeau has spent four years in the American Hockey League playing for the Laval Rocket. His best season came in 2022-23 when he put up seven goals with 20 assists for 27 points and 59 penalty minutes in 60 contests. In 2025-26, he had eight goals and 12 helpers for 20 points with 54 penalty minutes in 62 games. Trudeau didn’t put up a point in five games during the postseason.

Similar to Berard, Trudeau is a restricted free agent. He’ll most likely sign a two-way deal. Whether or not he can play in the NHL remains to be seen. From my vantage point, it looks like a nice addition to the Hartford Wolf Pack. My guess is he’ll be an emergency recall during next season.

With the first round of the NHL Draft starting up soon in Buffalo, the Rangers remain selecting at number five and number 26. Despite some reports that Vincent Trocheck could be moved to the Sabres, nothing has transpired due to the uncanny stubbornness of Drury. He still wants a good prospect and a first round pick. It’s yet another example of how bad dough boy is. He could’ve gotten that at the trade deadline. But he overvalued Trocheck.

With nothing really happening with the Sabres’ fourth pick, it looks like they’ll hang onto it. The Rangers should be able to draft one of the top defenseman prospects at number five. Hopefully, Chase Reid will fall into their lap. If not, then they’ll have a choice between Carson Carels, Alberts Smits, and Keaton Verhoeff. Personally, I like Verhoeff better than Smits. Carels looks to be the most well-rounded of the three.

Here’s just some guesswork:

1. Leafs LW Gavin McKenna
2. Sharks LW Ivar Stenberg
3. Canucks C Caleb Malhotra
4. Sabres C Viggo Bjorck
5. Rangers D Chase Reid
6. Flames C Tynan Lawrence
7. Kraken D Carson Carels
8. Jets D Alberts Smits
9. Sharks D Keaton Verhoeff
10. Predators D Daxon Rudolph

This is a top heavy draft full of promising blue liners. Happy Draft Day!

Bonus prediction: 12. Devils LW Wyatt Cullen