The Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars announced a trade today that will send defenseman Sergei Gonchar to Montreal in exchange for forward Travis Moen.

Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced the move earlier today.

The 40-year-old Gonchar has one assist thus far this season in three games of action. He's averaging almost exactly 13:00 minutes of ice time a night.

He recently returned to the lineup after missing the initial 11 games of the season with a toe injury.

Gonchar will most likely play a role on the special team unit going forward for Montreal, according to Mike Halford of NBCSports' ProHockeyTalk.com.

They're the third-worst in the league in that area, and an older Gonchar, while less mobile, could provide the spark they need.

Gonchar will also be reunited with former coach Michel Therrien - the two spent four seasons together as members of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.

The 32-year-old Moen is a physical, hard-nosed player, who will bring grittiness to a Dallas team currently facing a seven-game losing streak.

"Travis is a proven forward that does all the gritty things needed to win," Stars GM Jim Nill said in a release. "He brings leadership and experience to our forward group and will be an important part of our penalty kill."

He was scoreless in 10 games for Montreal this season.

Dallas will also eat $400,000 of Gonchar's salary, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. His cap hit will be $4.6 million.

Gonchar is an unrestricted free agent after this season, while Moen has two years remaining on his deal.