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Here are all the moves that happened before the expansion draft roster freeze went into effect

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A handful of NHL teams made last-minute trades before the NHL roster freeze went into effect Saturday.

The goal of most of these deals was to maximize assets, open room for players on certain teams’ expansion draft protection lists, and leave the Vegas Golden Knights with as little talent as possible.

Canadiens trade Nathan Beaulieu to Sabres

Shortly after noon, the Canadiens traded defenseman Nathan Beaulieu to the Sabres for a 2017 third-round pick (68th overall).

Canadiens blog Eyes on the Prize wrote that Beaulieu was likely traded because they had run out of patience with the defenseman and were looking to protect recent acquisition Jordie Benn.

The obvious thing this does is allow Jordie Benn to take the third defenceman slot on Montreal’s protection list that needs to be submitted by 5:00 PM tonight. However, it could open up other possibilities as well.

The Canadiens now have two second-round picks (56 and 58 overall) and two third-round picks (newly acquired 68 and 87) this season. This is along with three second-round picks in 2018 (one of those is conditional in the Jonathan Drouin trade.)

They are said to be in the market for a new defenceman, and could use one of their picks to upgrade on Beaulieu and drop down a few spots in the order with their new pick from Buffalo.

The 24-year-old Beaulieu was originally a 17th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in 2011. Beaulieu scored four goals and tallied 24 assists in 74 games last season.

This third-round pick the Canadiens are receiving from the Sabres is not the pick the Capitals traded to Buffalo to land Mike Weber in 2016. Buffalo retains that pick at 89th overall.

Coyotes trade Mike Smith to Flames

Later in the afternoon, the Calgary Flames acquired Mike Smith from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for UFA Chad Johnson, unsigned prospect Brandon Hickey, and a conditional third-round draft pick.

The Coyotes most likely dealt Smith to rid the team of the aging goaltender’s salary and send a message to the team that a new era is beginning.

More from the Coyotes blog Five for Howling:

Perhaps the most important aspect of this trade is the brutal economics of the Coyotes getting nearly 4-million-dollars-a-season worth of salary off the books that would otherwise be paid to a 36/37 year-old declining netminder through the 18/19 season end, an important move for a team looking to change and move into a new era.

Like it or not, the clock was ticking loudly on Mike Smith’s time in Arizona, and with this trade, John Chayka has signaled in the strongest way yet that this team is going in a new direction. The trouble for fans may be that as yet, it’s not clear what that new direction is.

Chayka had this to say to the AP’s Stephen Whyno.

Smith has been a part of the Coyotes organization for the past six seasons, finishing his 2016-2017 campaign with a .914 save percentage in 55 games. In Smith’s first season with the Coyotes, he played 67 regular season games. He posted a .944 save percentage in the playoffs and took the Coyotes to the Western Conference Final for the first time in franchise history. That season, Smith finished fourth in Vezina voting. Smith was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars 161st overall in 2001.

Johnson, a 31-year-old goaltender, posted a 18-15-1 record with a .910 save percentage in Calgary during the 2016-2017 season. Johnson played four games for the Coyotes in 2012-2013 and was originally drafted 125th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006.

Hickey is a 21-year-old rising senior defenseman at Boston University. In his three years at BU, he has totaled 40 points (15 goals, 25 assists) and was originally drafted by the Flames at 64th overall in 2014.

Devils acquire Mirco Mueller from Sharks for picks

The San Jose Sharks have sent defenseman Mirco Mueller and a 2017 fifth-round (143) pick to the New Jersey Devils for a second (49) and fourth-round (123) draft pick.

Mueller, a 22-year-old, was selected 18th overall in 2013 by the Sharks. He played in four games for the Sharks during the 2016-2017 season, totaling 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist). During his time in the AHL, he notched 20 points (2 goals, 18 assists).

The San Jose Sharks did not trade Mueller away for expansion draft reasons, but according to Fear the Fin, the Sharks are giving up on prospects too early in the development process.

Mueller is the latest Shark to be traded after not turning out to be what the team would’ve hoped. Earlier this year, the Sharks traded Nikolay Goldobin to the Canucks under similar circumstances. Both the 2013 and 2014 first round draft picks are now out the door for San Jose.

The Sharks do acquire some reasonable picks in the upcoming draft (2nd and 4th), but give up another prospect too early in the development process.

Earlier this week, the Capitals traded a 2018 fifth-round pick to the Wild for Tyler Graovac. The Tampa Bay Lightning also traded Jonathan Drouin to the Canadiens for prospect defenseman Mikhail Sergachev. The Canadiens then signed Drouin to a six-year, $33 million contract.

Other trades and news heading into the expansion draft:

Photos: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images, Christian Petersen/Getty Images and Christian Petersen/Getty Images

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