MONTREAL - By trading Trevor Linden to Montreal for a first-round draft pick on Saturday, the New York Islanders signalled rebuilding with youth while the Canadiens showed they want to win now.
   The deal was clinched Friday when Linden, 29, the big centre the Canadiens lacked last season, agreed to terms on a four-year contract with his new team.
   In return, the Islanders got Montreal's 10th overall selection in the June 26 draft to go with their own first-round pick, fifth overall.
   "By signing Trevor for four years, we felt the message was clear - we want a (winning) team now, " said Canadiens general manager Rejean Houle, who had received permission from the Islanders to negotiate with Linden.
   "We want to compete with the other teams in the league."
   While Montreal has opted to retool its team and keep its payroll in the $30-million US range, Islanders general manager Mike Milbury is cutting expensive veterans to go with youth.
   "It was a tough one, " Milbury said of trading Linden. "He's a class act.
   "I know he didn't have his best season, but he's a good player. We're facing a lot of difficult decisions this summer and this is one of them. Yes, there were financial considerations in our decision."
   Financial terms of Linden's contract were not announced. He earned $2.5 million US last season and was to become a restricted free agent on July 1.
   "Part of the trade was me committing for four years, " said the 6-foot-4, 210 pound Linden, a native of Medicine Hat, Alta. "I was thrilled.
   "A chance to come back to Canada is something I value. So is a chance to play for an organization as focused as Montreal."
   Houle, who called the Linden deal a "first step," promised changes when the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the second time in five years with a divided team that didn't have a single 20-goal scorer.
  Linden has failed to score 20 in four of his last five seasons, although he was a 30-goal man six times earlier in his career with the Vancouver Canucks.
   He had 18 goals and 29 assists in 82 games last season.
   The Isles' former captain brings what Houle and coach Alain Vigneault agreed was missing this season - leadership and a big No. 1 centre who can go head-to-head with the league's top forwards.
   "Trevor will bring a lot to our team, not only with his presence in the dressing room but also on the ice, " said Vigneault. "We haven't discussed his role yet, but any time you get a player like Trevor, you use him, whether it's a centre or on the (right) wing."
   Vigneault, who said Linden's arrival would not bump diminutive centre Saku Koivu to the second line, said several players called to voice approval of the trade.