Former Montreal Canadiens' defenseman Marco Scandella has decided to retire from professional hockey.
Former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin acquired Montreal native blueliner Marco Scandella in January 2020 in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres. The big left-shot defenseman only played 20 games with the Habs, though, as he was flipped to the St. Louis Blues a month and a half later.
While Scandella didn't make much of a mark on Canadiens history in his 20 games with the Montreal outfit, registering a goal, two assists, and eight penalty minutes, he certainly brought the Habs a good return on the trade market.
To acquire the blueliner, the Blues gave the Canadiens a second-round pick at the 2020 draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021. For the condition to be met, the Blues had to either sign him to a new contract before October 7, 2020 or win at least two playoff rounds in which Scandella played at least half the games. The Missouri outfit stumbled in the first round of the "bubble playoffs," but they inked the rearguard to a new deal in April.
The second-round pick became the 57th selection at the 2020 draft, which Montreal traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in return for a fourth-round pick in the same draft and a second-round pick at the 2021 draft. The Tampa pick in the fourth round ended up being the 124th selection, which the Habs used to pick Sean Farrell, while the Florida outfit's second-round pick the following year turned into the 64th pick overall, Oliver Kapanen.
The conditional fourth-round pick from the Blues became pick 113th overall, which Montreal used to draft defenseman William Trudeau. In other words, for a player that only cost him a fourth-round pick (which Buffalo used to acquire Michael Frolik), Marc Bergevin landed Sean Farrell, Oliver Kapanen, and William Trudeau. Four years later, these players are all still in the Habs organization. This is impressive work by Bergevin, especially if Kapanen keeps developing so well.
Scandella retires at 34, having played 784 games and scoring 170 points with the Minnesota Wild, Sabres, Canadiens, and Blues. According to TVA insider Renaud Lavoie, who reported his retirement, he had received an offer to play in Europe but elected to call it a day. Enjoy retirement, Marco Scandella, and thank you for the prospects.