VANCOUVER -- The Montreal Canadiens traded defenceman Raphael Diaz to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday in exchange for forward Dale Weise. The 28-year-old Diaz had 11 assists and 12 penalty minutes in 46 games for the Canadiens this season. The native of Baar, Switzerland, has 41 points (four goals, 37 assists) and 48 penalty minutes in 128 NHL career games but was a healthy scratch of late with Montreal. "This is the business. This is the way it is," Diaz said Monday on a conference call. "As a player you want to play as much as you can and you want to help you team." Diaz joins a Canucks blue-line that has suffered a number of injuries in recent weeks, with both Christopher Tanev and Kevin Bieksa currently out of the lineup. "As a sportsman, as a hockey player, you respect everything (teams) do," he said. "(The Canadiens) always treated me good. They helped me learn a lot things to play in the NHL. "Im really excited for the new opportunity." Meanwhile, Weise never seemed to fit into the plans of Canucks head coach John Tortorella. The Winnipeg native had three goals, nine assists and 42 penalty minutes in 44 games this season, mostly while playing on the fourth line. "I think I can bring a physical presence to the (Canadiens)," said Weise. "Im a good skater and I work hard and my success is down low and hanging onto pucks and being physical and trying to get to the hard areas to score goals. "Im not sure where Im going to fit in just yet. Im just looking forward to coming in and trying to play hard and trying to find a spot." In 162 career NHL games, the 25-year-old has 10 goals, 16 assists and 185 penalty minutes. Weises name had been mentioned in trade speculation in recent weeks, but Mondays deal still caught him off guard. "(The trade) comes as a little bit of a shock to me," said Weise. "I think any time you hear rumours around you think about it but theres so many (rumours) that go around and you just never know. "I didnt put too much thought into it ... I was shocked when I heard about it today." Weise was expected to arrive in Montreal on Monday night and practise with the Canadiens on Tuesday morning, while Diaz was set to meet up with his new teammates the same day in Boston. Both Weise and Diaz will get a chance to face their old teams this week when the Canadiens host the Canucks on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Anthony Rendon Nationals Jersey . Western and the second-ranked Laval Rouge et Or (7-0) once again received 20 and 10 first-place votes from the Football Reporters of Canada panel, respectively. Rounding out the Top 10 are the Calgary Dinos (7-0), Queens Gaels (7-1), Guelph Gryphons (7-1), Montreal Carabins (5-2), Bishops Gaiters (5-2), McMaster Marauders (5-3), Manitoba Bisons (4-3) and the Saskatchewan Huskies (4-3) Western crushed York 50-10 last Saturday in its league finale to secure first place in the OUA standings and a bye in the first round of the conference playoffs. Aaron Barrett Nationals Jersey . Chris Capuano. Shane Greene. And now, Esmil Rogers. https://www.cheapnationals.com/237r-fern...-nationals.html. The agreement comes a little more than one week after the video game manufacturer agreed to a $40 million settlement in a similar but separate case, bringing the total payout planned for athletes to $60 million, said Steve Berman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, and the NCAA. Washington Nationals Store . Hicham Khalouas late goal improved Almerias chances of avoiding relegation in a match dominated by contentious calls, including three penalties. One day after Barcelonas 4-3 win at Real Madrid featured three penalties, referees again dominated a wide-open game that saw Almeria ultimately move out of the relegation zone and one point ahead of Getafe which took its place. Frank Robinson Nationals Jersey ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other.MANCHESTER, England - It was always going to be a fascinating subplot of the Premier League season: A highly regarded Dutchman taking his first coaching job in English football at a team in need of an overhaul.The focus of the story was supposed to be Louis van Gaal at Manchester United.Yet, Van Gaal has been upstaged somewhat by Ronald Koeman, who was faced with a similar task in his first season at Southampton following the departure of a slew of the clubs top players — and is faring better than his compatriot.Southampton is a point above United ahead of Mondays game between the third- and fourth-place teams in the Premier League. And that will give satisfaction to Koeman, given his recent history with Van Gaal.Van Gaal gave Koeman his coaching break at club level when he hired the former Netherlands defender as his assistant at Barcelona in 1998. The pairs relationship turned sour six years later, though, after Van Gaal was appointed as sporting director at Dutch club Ajax, where Koeman was coach. They fell out and Van Gaal quit his position, three weeks after a public disagreement with Koeman.Since then, Van Gaal has described Koeman as weak in his authorized biography.It adds some spice to the match at St. Marys Stadium, although the pair attempted to play down the rivalry on Friday.The game is Southampton vs. Manchester United, Koeman said. The game needs that attention, not the attention about both managers. That iis private.dddddddddddd It was a working problem. I think I have to explain it like that. Its not an issue, it was eight or nine years ago.Asked if how his relationship with Van Gaal is, Koeman said: If we see each other, we shake hands. And thats enough.Van Gaal said his thoughts about Koeman will remain private.We play against Southampton. We have to speak about Southampton and not about the trainer-coach, Van Gaal said.The teams come into the game heading in opposite directions. After a strong start to the season, Southampton has lost its last two games — against Manchester City and Arsenal — and could be overtaken by United if it loses a third in a row on Monday.United, meanwhile, is in its best run of form in Van Gaals short tenure and heads to the south coast seeking a fifth straight win.It was difficult at the start of the season, Koeman said of United, but they are on their way back. It will be a nice challenge for us.Southamptons task will be even harder because Wayne Rooney is fit again for United after missing Tuesdays 2-1 win over Stoke with a knee injury. Angel Di Maria is still missing.Van Gaal was angered Friday by reports that United is prepared to give him about 100 million pounds ($155 million) to spend on players next year, with the club already having splashed out about $250 million on signings in the last off-season.I think it is disgusting always writing about numbers, Van Gaal said. ' ' '