Canadiens Acquire Paul Mara from Ducks

The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have acquired defenseman Paul Mara from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. Mara, who has been a healthy scratch in 23 of the Ducks' last 25 games, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He is also beginning his second stint with the Canadiens. In 33 games so far this season, he has one goal and one assist, as well as 40 penalty minutes. Not a bad depth move for Montreal, as Mara played with the team last season and will already be familiar with their system, and will also bring some toughness and plenty of size to the team. More importantly, he will bring some much needed defensive depth to a club that is currently without Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges, Hall Gill, and Jaroslav Spacek because of injuries.