The Tampa Bay Lightning got the young defenseman they have been looking for in Mikhail Sergachev, even though it cost them highly skilled forward Jonathan Drouin.

Tampa Bay acquired the soon-to-be 19-year-old Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in a trade that checks off one box on General Manager Steve Yzerman’s offseason checklist, and could provide short- and long-term benefits.

Dealing Drouin helps the Lightning ahead of the Vegas expansion draft as well as in their tight salary-cap situation, and adding Sergachev potentially strengthens their blue line for the next decade.

“Our biggest need and our biggest goal was to acquire a puck-moving young defenseman, and we were able to do that,” Yzerman said on a conference call.

“We wanted this type of game that Sergachev plays: an offensive defenseman, big, strong, good skater, moves the puck well. We were looking for that type of player and we were able to find a fit.”

Along with Sergachev, Tampa Bay got a conditional 2018 second-round pick that previously belonged to Washington, and Montreal got a 2018 conditional sixth-rounder. If Sergachev plays 40 NHL games between the regular season and playoffs next season, no picks will be exchanged.

In parts of three seasons with the Lightning, Drouin already showed he could adapt to the pro game. The 22-year-old set career highs last season with 21 goals, 32 assists and 53 points, and has 95 points in 164 career games.

Hours after the trade, the Canadiens signed Drouin to a $33 million, six-year contract that means he will count $5.5 million against the salary cap through 2022-23. Agent Allan Walsh said, “It’s his childhood dream to play for the Montreal Canadiens.”

SABRES: Hall of Fame defenseman Phil Housley is returning to Buffalo after being hired by the Sabres to be their head coach.

It’s a homecoming for Housley, who was selected by Buffalo in the first round of the 1982 draft and spent his first eight seasons playing for the Sabres.

Housley has spent the past four years as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators.

AVALANCHE: Colorado bought out the final year of defenseman Francois Beauchemin’s contract.

Beauchemin had one season left on his three-year deal at a salary-cap hit of $4.5 million.