Montreal Canadiens acquire Steve Ott from the Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings continue to sell at the trade deadline, as they’ve dealt noted tough guy Steve Ott to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Montreal was rumored to be in for Ott earlier on Tuesday evening, and the deal came through early Wednesday morning to the surprise of many.

Ott was held out of the Red Wings lineup Tuesday as rumors and theories swirled around the 34-year-old center. The trade went down as the Red Wings were finishing an overtime victory over Vancouver.

There’s not a lot to like about Ott’s game if you’re a Canadiens fan. Ott has six points in 42 games this year with 63 penalty minutes. He’s more often known for his big hits and chirps than scoring and he’s well on the wrong side of 30. Considering the Canadiens just traded away another center in David Desharnais, the swap makes Montreal a worse on-ice team in terms of production.

For the Red Wings, however, the draft picks continue to pile up as Detroit remains one of the NHL’s biggest sellers this deadline. They weren’t likely to pick up Ott’s contract that expires this summer, and were able to get value on an asset that would have likely walked for free in the free agent market.