The Montreal Canadiens made another trade Thursday that mirrored one from earlier this month.

In acquiring veteran blueliner Bryan Allen from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Rene Bourque, Habs general manager Marc Bergevin shed himself of a contract that had term past this season.

Allen is an unrestricted free agent after the season -- just like Sergei Gonchar, who was acquired earlier this month from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Travis Moen. Moen had another year left on his deal next season -- just like Bourque.

Between Bourque and Moen, the Habs have shed $5.18 million off their salary cap for next season. Pretty shrewd moves here by Bergevin. Not to mention that, if Gonchar and Allen have anything left in the tank, they also bring experience to a roster that’s hoping for a deep playoff run.

Remember that teams around the league are nervous that the salary cap won’t go up that much next year.

From Anaheim’s perspective, the Ducks are a budget team, not a cap team. And it’s important to note that Bourque’s salary is actually $2.5 million this year and next even though his cap hit is $3.33 million. While Bourque has struggled a lot in Montreal, a change of scenery at $2.5 million is probably worth the risk for Anaheim.