Ducks acquire center Louis Leblanc from Montreal

Anaheim Ducks
Louis Leblanc
NHL
Saku Koivu
Montreal Canadiens

Ducks bolster depth by acquiring 2009 first-round draft pick Louis Leblanc from Canadiens

Whether veteran center Saku Koivu will return to the Ducks or not is still uncertain.

If the 39-year-old does, the team acquired a depth player by trading for former first-round pick Louis Leblanc, 23, from the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

If Koivu retires, Leblanc’s development will need to be on a faster track, barring additional Ducks transactions.

The Ducks sent a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2015 to Montreal in exchange for the 6-foot, 180-pound Leblanc, who’s played in 50 NHL games after being the 18th overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft.

Leblanc, a product of Harvard, is seen primarily by the Ducks for 2014-15 as a player who’ll have an opportunity to win an NHL job in training camp.