The NHL waiver wire has brought a familiar name back into the conversation for the Montreal Canadiens.
William Lagesson, the defenseman who spent a brief stretch in Montreal during the 2021-22 season, was placed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings. According to PuckPedia, he was one of several players on today’s transaction list, with Dennis Cholowski and Urho Vaakanainen - both former first-round picks - also included.
Lagesson’s Canadiens stint may have been short, but it is tied to one of the more notable moves in the organization’s recent history. Montreal acquired him from the Edmonton Oilers in March 2022 as part of a deal that also brought in a conditional second-round pick. That pick eventually became Lane Hutson.
Brett Kulak was the other piece in that trade, heading to Edmonton.
Lagesson appeared in just three games for the Canadiens before moving on to the rest of his NHL journey. Since then, the Swedish blueliner has suited up for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks before landing in Detroit.
A fourth-round pick by Edmonton in 2014, Lagesson has played 107 NHL games and has 12 career points. His game has been built around defense first, with more value coming from his physical play than from anything he brings offensively.
Hutson’s rise has only made that 2022 trade look better for Montreal. The young defenseman has quickly become one of the NHL’s most promising players at his position, and the deal now stands as one of Kent Hughes’ biggest wins since becoming general manager.
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