MONTREAL

D-man Beaulieu traded for third round pick

CTV Montreal Published Saturday, June 17, 2017 2:02PM EDT Last Updated Saturday, June 17, 2017 2:58PM EDT

Montreal Canadiens defenceman Nathan Beaulieu (28) celebrates scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Paul Bereswill)

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After weeks of speculation, the Montreal Canadiens and Nathan Beaulieu have parted ways, as the defenceman was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick in the 2017 entry draft.

The pick will be the 68^th overall.

Beaulieu was the Habs’ first-round pick in the 2011 draft. Since then, he has played 225 games in the NHL, scoring seven goals and 53 assists. In 17 career playoff games, Beaulieu posted four assists.

Last season, the defenceman struggled. Though he started the campaign playing on the first pairing with Shea Weber, he found himself a healthy scratch by the time the club was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the New York Rangers.

The deal comes in the wake of the club swapping another young defenceman, prospect Mikhail Sergachev, for Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin, on Thursday.

CTV Montreal's Brian Wilde had some preliminary thoughts on the trade, which comes as the league prepares for the Las Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft.