MONTREAL -- The Montreal Canadiens traded goaltender Rick Wamsley and three draft choices to St. Louis Saturday for the Blues' first-round pick in the NHL draft of amateur players.
The trade was announced only moments before the draft of 252 junior hockey players was to begin at the Montreal Forum.
The Canadiens used the first-round choice to make Shayne Corson, 18, of the Ontario Hockey League, the No. 8 pick overall.
In addition to Wamsley, the Canadiens had to give up two second-round picks and one third-round pick. Corson had 71 points last year for the Brantford Alexanders of the OHL.
Wamsley, 25, has played just over three season in the NHL -- all with Montreal. Last season, he played 42 games, giving up 144 goals for a goals-against average of 3.70 and two shutouts.
Wamsley became expendable during the playoffs when rookie Steve Penney turned in one spectacular performance after another to help Monreal gain a berth in the semifinals.
The trade left the Canadiens with two goaltenders -- Penney and Richard Sevigny. It also gave Montreal two picks in the first round.
A trade three years ago gave them Hartford's first-round (fifth overall) pick. They used that pick to draft Petra Svoboda of the Czechoslovakian junior national team.
