'Shocked' Sergachev learned of trade to Lightning via text from fan

Cell service in the eastern Mediterranean is in need of an upgrade.

On vacation in Cyprus, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev found out he was being traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Tampa Bay Lightning via a random text message.

"Some fan texted me and said, 'Good luck in Tampa,' and I was like, 'What?'" Sergachev told Bryan Burns on the Lightning's website. "My phone doesn't work here in Cyprus, so (Canadiens general manager) Marc Bergevin couldn't call me."

Sergachev turned to Twitter and saw that he had indeed been traded to Tampa Bay for Jonathan Drouin. The deal appears to have come right out of the same shade of blue that surrounded him in Cyprus.

"My reaction was like, I don't know," Sergachev said. "When I got drafted by the Habs, I was a big fan of them and I played for them. But then I got traded and first reaction was I was kind of frustrated and shocked but after that, it's a new opportunity for me."

Sergachev was drafted ninth overall by the Canadiens in 2016 after a successful first season with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires in which he was named the league's most outstanding defenseman. From his point of view, his two seasons of junior experience - which includes a Memorial Cup win just last month - has prepared him for the next step.

"I feel like I had enough juniors and I played a lot in juniors and I learned a lot in those two years," he said. "I feel like this is my time to play in the NHL, and I'll do my best and I'll play my best to make the Lightning roster."