Thrashers trade defenseman for draft picks

Los Angeles — Mathieu Schneider gave the Thrashers a mentor for Zach Bogosian plus four goals, 11 assists and a second-round pick in the 2009 draft.

That was Atlanta’s return on its five-month investment in Schneider, whom the Thrashers traded Monday to Montreal.

The second-round pick is Anaheim’s, which Montreal acquired in a previous trade. Atlanta also gets Montreal’s third-round pick in 2010. Montreal gets a third-, fourth- or fifth-round pick in 2009 from Atlanta, depending on how the Canadiens fare this season.

Thrashers general manager Don Waddell tried to talk the Canadiens into parting with one of their many highly regarded prospects, but Waddell said the Canadiens wanted those prospects to fill the gaps in their roster sure to be created by the departures of some of their 10 unrestricted free agents this summer. Schneider will be an unrestricted free agent, too.

“They felt that a lot of these kids are going to be in their lineup next year,” Waddell said. “They were real reluctant to give any of the prospects we want.”

Schneider’s $5.75 million contract limited the number of teams that could fit him under the salary cap. That cap hit would have diminished with every passing day, but there were three reasons Waddell didn’t want to wait to make a trade:

• Schneider could have gotten hurt, lowering or eliminating his trade value.

• Every additional game Schneider played for the Thrashers would be a game Boris Valabik or Nathan Oystrick sat out, slowing their development.

• Montreal needed a trade right away, and there was no guarantee there would be as willing a trade partner closer to the March 4 trade deadline. The Canadiens felt burned at the deadline last season when the Thrashers traded Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh.

“They were going to do something today or tomorrow,” Waddell said. “There was no doubt about it. It was going to be us or somebody else.”

Schneider, 39, returns to the team with which he started his career. The Canadiens began Monday tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference despite losing five of their last six games.

“I’m excited, obviously, to go to a team that’s headed toward the playoffs,” Schneider said. “I know they’ve been struggling a little bit, but it’s a team I’m familiar with, a city I’m familiar with.”

Schneider played with Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey and coach Guy Carbonneau in the late 1980s, before Bogosian was born. The chance to pair Schneider with Bogosian, on and off the ice, was one of the key reasons Waddell traded with Anaheim to get Schneider before the season.

“I’m going to miss the kid,” Schneider said of his 18-year-old friend. “He’s such a great kid. He’s made me feel younger every day coming to the rink. I can’t say enough about him. He’s going to be an all-star in this league for years to come.”

Their relationship won’t necessarily end with their separation. Both said they’d stay in touch. Schneider’s parting words: Keep it up. You’re doing fine.

“It’s tough to see a guy like that go because I’m so close to him,” Bogosian said. “Some of the younger guys are going to have to step up. Hopefully I can do that. I’m ready for it. I’m excited to do that.”

The trade wasn’t a surprise, with the Thrashers out of the playoff picture and looking to get something for Schneider before he became a free agent. The only questions were when it would happen, what the Thrashers would get and from whom.

Bogosian heard the news while on the ice at the morning skate before Monday’s game against Los Angeles. Schneider said Bogosian took it in stride.

Bogosian, the No. 3 overall pick in last summer’s draft, already has dealt with a broken leg, NHL travel, handling interviews, even occasional games as a healthy scratch.

“It’s a growing experience,” Schneider said. “There’s a lot of things Zach still needs to learn. He knows that. That’s probably the most important thing. He knows he doesn’t know everything out there. He’s got guys around him that are capable of helping him.”