The struggling Montreal Canadiens obtained veteran defenseman Mathieu Schneider from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for two draft picks Monday, bringing home a member of their 1993 championship team.
The Canadiens, who sent Atlanta a second-round pick in this year's National Hockey League Draft and a third-round choice in 2010, have not won a Stanley Cup title since 1993 when Schneider was part of the team.
Schneider, 39, will provide veteran leadership for the Canadiens' club that has lost 10 of its past 13 games and slid to fifth in the Eastern Conference.
"We were looking for a defenseman who could contribute offensively," said Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey. "Mathieu, an experienced player with a lot of offensive upside, will bring depth to our core group of defensemen and be an asset on our power play."
Schneider, who scored four goals in 44 games with Atlanta this season after being obtained from Anaheim, returns to the team that first drafted him back in 1987 and traded him away to the New York Islanders in 1995.
Copyright 2009 AFP American Edition
