The Montreal Canadiens make a pair of depth moves on Tuesday, signing forward Ryan Russell and goaltender Cedrick Desjardins each to one-year, two-way contracts.
The 23-year old Russell played in 74 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2009-10. He finished sixth on the team with 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists), and led the team with three shorthanded goals.
He added 12 points (7-5-12) in 19 playoff games, while posting a plus-5 differential.
The 5-foot-10, 174-pound center has totaled 79 points (41 goals, 38 assists) in 178 career regular season games in the AHL with Hamilton.
Russell was selected in the seventh round, 211th overall by the New York Rangers at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by the Canadiens in a transaction with the Rangers on May 31, 2007.
The 24-year old Desjardins led all AHL goaltenders in 2009-10 with a 2.00 goals-against average in 47 games. He posted a 29- 9-4 record, finishing fourth in the league in wins, second in shutouts (6) and sixth with a .919 save percentage.
Desjardins helped the Bulldogs reach the AHL Western Conference Finals, while posting a 6-4-0 record in 10 playoff games. He played in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2010 and was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. His 29 wins set a franchise record for the most in a season by a Bulldogs goaltender.
The 6-foot, 194-pound goaltender played 92 career regular season games with the Bulldogs. He posted a 41-26-6 record along with 10 shutouts.
A native of Edmundston, New Brunswick, Desjardins joined the Canadiens as a free agent on July 3, 2008.
