As is the tradition, when a veteran comes to a new team, if the number he covets is not available, he will have to pay a little something to get it. In most situations, it is a young player who has the number in question. In exchange for the coveted number, the veteran player must offer a Rolex watch to the youngster in compensation.
Phillip Danault has been wearing the number 24 since he entered the NHL. However, he will have to respect the tradition, while Lias Andersson is the owner of this number with the Kings. The young Swede will lose his number, although he was obviously very excited to get a new watch.
Remember when Michael Ryder was acquired by Marc Bergevin in 2013, the season when Brendan Gallagher wore the number 73. Gally had given up his number to Ryder, in favor of the number 11, so that he could get his lucky number back. In return, Ryder promised him a Rolex watch.
However, in this situation, it is exceptional, because Gallagher is still waiting for his Rolex...
Ilya Kovalchuk, for his part, had kept his word when he arrived in Montreal. He offered the expensive bracelet to Brett Kulak in return for his number 17. Kulak has been wearing 77 ever since.
