The Montreal Canadiens have been active this offseason, giving themselves assets for moves that could be made in the near future. The Canadiens played a part in the Erik Karlsson trade from the San Jose Sharks to the Pittsburgh Penguins by acquiring Jeff Petry from Pittsburgh, and flipped him to the Detroit Red Wings.

Both of those trades went down in a short amount of time. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said he let Jeff Petry know that his stint with Montreal would be short.

“I'm a believer in genera, whether it be players or people, that you do the right thing,” Kent Hughes said, via TSN. “I called Jeff and said, ‘Listen, I know you didn't go to bed expecting to hear from me this morning. I was probably one of the last people you expected.' I know they, as a family, were uptight. They've got four young boys and they were about to start school in two weeks.”

The Canadiens did not drag out the process, and quickly dealt Petry to the Red Wings.

The moves that the Canadiens have made this offseason open up cap space along with roster space for younger players to gain playing time this upcoming season.

The Canadiens are in a long-term build. The team has been active in trades this offseason, with acquiring Alex Newhook and trading Joel Edmundson to the Washington Capitals for draft picks.

It will be interesting to see the moves that the Canadiens make in the near future. They have the ability to add to their roster.