HabsWorld.net --
The Habs made a small trade on Saturday afternoon, dealing winger Tim Bozon to Florida in exchange for defenceman Jonathan Racine. The team has assigned Racine to St. John’s of the AHL.
Racine has spent the majority of his professional career with Florida’s AHL affiliates. Last season, he played in 69 games with Portland, picking up a goal and eight assists to go along with 89 PIMS. In 198 career minor league contests, he has just the lone goal with 21 assists and 333 PIMS. Racine was Florida’s 3rd round pick (87th overall) in 2011 and has a single NHL game under his belt in the 2013-14 season. He should provide St. John’s with some extra depth on the back end.
As for Bozon, he struggled last season in his first full professional season. He played in 41 games with the IceCaps last season, scoring just five goals and three assists although he was in the bottom six for most of the season. He also got into 15 contests with ECHL Brampton, collecting nine points.
Bozon appeared to be a prospect on the rise after the Habs drafted him in the 3rd round (64th overall) in 2012 but a life threatening bout of meningitis in 2013 set back his development. He recently was rated 21st on our annual prospect rankings.
Both players have one year left on their contracts. Racine will earn $660,000 at the NHL level and $70,000 in the minors while Bozon carries a cap hit of $637,500 in the NHL while also making $70,000 in the AHL.
Racine’s Stats:
Bozon’s Stats: