Nesterov joins the Canadiens after managing three goals and 12 points for the Lightning this season - good enough for third in team scoring among defensemen.
Nikita Nesterov acquisition has nothing to do with Andrei Markov on the IR. Marc Bergevin was looking for more dept at the blue line anyway.
Meanwhile, in Racine, the Lightning receive a former third-round pick in 2011 of the Florida Panthers. The 23-year-old has spent this season playing for the Canadiens' American Hockey League affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps, where he has contributed three assists and 58 penalty minutes in 26 games.
Nesterov should add some experience to the Canadiens' defensive core, having dressed in 26 playoff games over the last two seasons.
The outburst comes at a big time for the Blackhawks who - with the victory - match the Minnesota Wild for top spot in the Western Conference with 65 points.
For Toews, the four-point output was his largest offensive performance of the year and hopefully a glimpse of what's to come as Toews' offensive numbers have taken a dive this season.
Jonathan Toews's performance vs the #Canucks tonight gives him 7 career reg season 4-point games- tied for 4th most on CHI in past 30 years
The 28-year-old is on pace to post 47 points this campaign - even after his four-point game - which would set a career low. In fact Toews even hit 48 points during the lockout shortened 2012-13 campaign.
The season has been very uncharacteristic of Toews - who has posted 28 goals in each of his last three seasons, averaging 64 points. One glaring difference this year has been his puck luck.
It seems goaltenders have been getting the better of Toews.
After averaging a career shooting percent of 14.6%, Toews has only managed to connect on 6.9% of his shots this season, which once again is by and away his worst career mark.
Factor in the fatigue from playing significant minutes for Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey, for the Blackhawks' many deep playoff runs, and his nagging back injury - that caused him to miss nine games earlier in the year - and it's clear there could be many factors in Toews' drop in production.
All this considered, Toews still earned an All-Star nod for next weekend's festivities - whether his inclusion was warranted or not can be debated.
His four points on Sunday were certainly a welcome sight for the Blackhawks and for a club once again vying for a top playoff seed, a further increase in Toews' production would go a long way to ensuring Chicago makes another serious run at Lord Stanley.
Patrik Laine's return to the lineup appears imminent.
Following the team's 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice gave an update on the team's star rookie, stating all restrictions will be removed and the 18-year-old will return to full practice on Sunday, according to TSN's Gary Lawless.
Laine has missed the team's last seven games after suffering a concussion following a devastating hit from Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe back on Jan. 7.
It's by far the tightest division in the league, everyone in the Atlantic still has a chance of making the postseason, at least in theory.
The Atlantic Division could become one of the more interesting collection of clubs down the stretch with teams now faced with decision whether they are buyers or sellers at the deadline.
It's tricky territory, where a move or two could propel teams toward the playoffs or the ever-provocative first-overall pick.
Here's what trade bait currently lingers in the Atlantic:
Boston Bruins
The Bruins continue to flirt with a playoff spot, holding one down for the time being, but with many other clubs nipping at their heels - all this while rumors of Claude Julien's imminent dismissal run rampant.
The team's roster presents itself as one closer to a contender than it does of a club ready to tear it down, but in all fairness the Bruins could use a more reliable option on defense.
In turn the team's most likely trade candidates appear to be Dominic Moore and Adam McQuaid, though the pot will need to be sweetened here in any potential deal.
Buffalo Sabres
It will pain Sabres fans, but once again the team will be vying for another top draft pick this offseason.
In a perfect world the team would use the deadline to recoup some draft picks in exchange for Matt Moulson, but with $10 million owed the next two seasons, it will be hard to find a buyer. The other possible option would see Cody Franson dealt to a team looking for defensive depth.
The 33-year-old has been among the Red Wings' most consistent players of late and for that reason could be worth dealing as the team projects to miss the postseason for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
Vanek served as a solid deadline pick-up for the Canadiens back in 2014, putting up five goals and 10 points in 17 games. He could reprise such a role once again.
Florida Panthers
After last year it seemed like the sky was the limit for the Panthers, but now the team will settle for a hill.
It's been hard to evaluate the state of the Panthers given they have been decimated with injuries and key ones at that. Someone like Jakub Kindl - who will become an unrestricted free agent - could be dealt, but next to him the Panthers best move might be to stand pat.
The team still has tons of young, budding talent and it would be foolish for the team to move any of it thinking they can save this season.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens could use some depth, both up front and on the back end.
The team is unlikely to part with many - if any - of their roster players.
Enter draft picks.
The Canadiens have all of their first round picks for the next three years in tact, and thanks to some trades, have six second-round picks over that span that could easily be packaged to pull off a deal or two.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators could certainly be considered buyers this year, one problem, they tend to penny pinch.
The team has surprised many by putting themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt despite being rather thin up front. The club has made it clear in the past that they would covet forward help and now would be the best time to acquire it.
Ottawa is likely in the market for more than just a rental. The Senators have few trade chips that would garner anything of high value, but with draft picks and possibly including Curtis Lazar - who has struggled mightily - in a deal, the team might be able to fetch them that missing piece they've been looking for.
Tampa Bay Lightning
In an all too recurring theme, a healthy Steven Stamkos would trump any potential trade acquisition.
With that considered, despite their recent struggles, it's unlikely the Lightning do anything of significance at the deadline. Sure their list of upcoming restricted and unrestricted free agents is high. However, that list contains the likes of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin - guys the team will rely heavily on down the stretch.
The Lightning hold all their draft picks for the the next three years so that might be their best bet for the time being, though having nearly no cap space presents a problem.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs will approach the deadline a lot differently this time around.
The team is likely to act as precarious spenders this season, with the club's emphasis being to upgrade defense, but only if the deal makes sense moving forward.
Toronto isn't interested in a rental, nor should it be.
James van Riemsdyk's name has been thrown every which way, but with a cap-friendly deal and the thought that they team might need him for a playoff run, his availability remains uncertain.
In that case look towards Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak as possible candidates in any potential swap.
Michael Grabner is becoming arguably the comeback player of the year, a shock to some, but not to his former teammates in Toronto.
Ahead of the Rangers' second clash with the Maple Leafs in the span of a week, some of Grabner's former teammates spoke of the 29-year-old's impeccable year, that sits him among the league leaders with 19 goals.
"I'm not surprised at all,'' Nazem Kadri said, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. "He had a ton of chances last year. It seems like he had a breakaway every single game. He's always had that goal-scoring potential in him. He scored 30-plus goals before. With that incredible speed he has and how good his stick is - he comes up top and forces the defenseman to make bad plays. He's just unbelievable at that.''
Grabner was acquired by the Maple Leafs during the offseason last year as the team was desperate to free up the number of contracts they could carry. He ultimately went unsigned by Toronto this past summer, but as head coach Mike Babcock admits, the decision didn't have much to do with his on-ice performance.
"Grabby is a guy we really liked here; he did a real good job for us," Babcock said. "We would have loved to have kept him, but we felt that, with the wingers we had coming, one of these kids wouldn't have gotten the ice time.''
Having not hit the aforementioned 30-goal mark since the 2010-11 season, Grabner is now making the most of a two-year deal with the Rangers. The Austrian has already surpassed last year's output by 10 goals and nine points in 36 fewer games and is on his way to setting a career high, all while making very few adjustments to his game.
"He played exactly the same way he is now, but he just didn't score; they didn't bounce in for him," said Leo Komarov. "He got a breakaway almost every game. He was really good. He probably had like 30-40 breakaways last year. This year he's scoring, too. He's got the confidence back. He's a good player and he's obviously showing everyone that.''
Grabner has become a great redemption story, but with the Maple Leafs and Rangers both currently holding down playoff spots, it's unlikely either party is too upset about how things worked out.
Benn has been sidelined for the club's past four games with a foot injury - a stretch that saw the team go 2-1-1. The 27-year-old will enter the lineup riding a four-game point streak, with six points in that span.
Meanwhile, the club also announced defenseman Jamie Oleksiak - who was forced from Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks - will be out of the lineup for a couple weeks as he nurses a hand injury.
