MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens made their goaltending choice on Thursday, trading playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues for two young prospects.

The Canadiens received forwards Ian Schultz of the WHL's Calgary Hitmen and Lars Eller, who played seven games for the Blues this season but spent most of the campaign with AHL Peoria.

The trade was being widely panned by Habs fans on Twitter and other websites within minutes of its completion. Most felt the team should have got more for the goalie who was the main reason Montreal upset Washington and Pittsburgh in the first two rounds of playoffs.

Halak was the Canadiens player of the year in 2009-10, when he went 26-13-5 and was fifth among NHL goalies in save percentage at .940 and ninth in goals-against average at 2.40.

He bumped his rival Carey Price to backup duty late in the regular season and was the team's starter for a surprising run to the Eastern Conference final. That came after he led Slovakia to a fourth-place finish at the Winter Olympics, where he was outstanding in making 36 saves in a 2-1 upset of Russia.

His brilliance continued in the playoffs, where he set a team record with 53 regulation time stops in a 4-1 victory over Washington as the Canadiens came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the first-place Capitals in the opening round.

Both Halak, 25, and Price, 22, are eligible to become restricted free agents on July 1 and it was expected that one or the other would be traded. Halak earned US$800,000 last season.

Price, who was 13-20-5 with a 2.77 average and a .912 save percentage, now has the way clear to be the team's top starter. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was drafted fifth overall in 2005 but has struggled to find consistency at the NHL level.

It appears the Canadiens are confident his six-foot-three frame and obvious talent is the better choice for the long term in goal.

Halak, the 271st overall pick of 2003, has been strong since his first call-up from AHL Hamilton in 2007, when he took over from the injured Cristobal Huet for Montreal's final push for a playoff spot.

In 101 career NHL games, all with Montreal, he is 56-34-7 with a 2.62 goals-against average.

Schultz, 20, the younger brother of Capitals defenceman Jeff Schultz, had 24 goals and 31 assists for the Hitmen last season. The six-foot-two 185-pound winger was drafted 87th overall in 2007.

Eller, 21, had two goals in seven games for the Blues and 18 goals and 19 assists in 70 AHL games. He was drafted 13th overall in 2007.