Alzner is expected to sign a five-year, $23 million deal with Montreal on Saturday, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Alzner had visited with Montreal in the days before free agency's official July 1 start so the destination isn't all that surprising. The former fifth overall selection from the 2007 NHL Entry Draft has been a stalwart defensive defenseman for the Capitals over the last nine seasons, and has a regular-season ironman streak of seven seasons heading into 2017-18. The 28-year-old defenseman has a lot of tread on his tires, but he will be surely missed by the Capitals, who now find themselves down two top-four defensemen after losing Nate Schmidt to the Golden Knights in the Expansion Draft.