Report: Veleno will be traded to Drummondville

The Saint John Sea Dogs are on the verge of pulling off one of the biggest trades in franchise history, reports Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports.

As reported by Lalancette, the Sea Dogs will trade captain Joe Veleno to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in exchange for several draft picks - which includes three first round selections.

Joseph Veleno passera aux Voltigeurs lors de la prochaine période de transactions. Plusieurs choix impliqués. #tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 9, 2017

Les choix reçus de Drummondville pour Joseph Veleno :

1er (Gat) 2018
1er (BLB) 2019
1er (Drum)2020
2e (Drum)2018
2e 2019#tvasports

— Mikaël Lalancette (@MLalancetteTVA) December 9, 2017

The transaction will take place when the Christmas trading period opens.

The deal, which is presumably accurate, will be one of the largest made in the QMJHL in recent years. When five draft picks are involved it's usually large - when three first rounders are involved it's huge.

Veleno, who is expected to be a first round pick in this year's NHL Draft, was in an odd spot at this trade period. He has extremely high value given he will likely be back in the league next season.

The Sea Dogs just recently said publicly they would listen to calls for Veleno. Notably, the Sea Dogs have played the Voltigeurs twice in the past week. Sherbrooke, Halifax, Rouyn-Noranda and Quebec also expressed interest, according to Lalancette.

This deal is a lot to take in. We do know this: this trade accelerates Saint John's rebuild significantly - and it's safe to call it a rebuild now.

The QMJHL's trade period begins on Monday, Dec. 18. Saint John's final game prior to the deadline is Dec. 16 against Charlottetown.