The Montreal Canadiens have traded Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a first-round pick and a conditional pick. While the 29-year-old centre is having one of his best seasons in the last few years, the Canadiens decided to recoup assets in exchange for Monahan’s services.
Sean Monahan going from Montreal to Winnipeg for a first round pick and a conditional pick
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 2, 2024
Sean Monahan Traded
There has been some speculation that Sean Monahan would be traded by the Montreal Canadiens. And then it happened. The left-handed centre is in his eleventh NHL season after being drafted sixth overall by the Calgary Flames in 2013. A big body with a strong work ethic, Monahan burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old in Calgary and scored 22 goals in his rookie season. His best season came in 2018-19 when he scored 34 goals and 48 assists in 78 games.
After some ups and downs, including various injuries, the Flames traded Monahan to the Canadiens in 2022. Monahan played a partial season last year for Montreal before signing a one-year contract over the summer. As mentioned above, Monahan is a big body at 6′ 2″ and 202 lbs. He also has been decent in the faceoff circle with an ability to move up and down the lineup. This season he has performed very well offensively and is why Montreal was able to fetch this return.
What This Means
For Montreal, this trade is simply trading an asset high to recoup assets to assist in their rebuild. Montreal is an up-and-coming team with a ton of potential and a strong voice behind the bench in Martin St. Louis. As good as Monahan has been this year, given that he is on an expiring contract this move makes sense.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg is getting a solid centre who can assist in many situations. He can contribute offensively, play responsibly defensively, win faceoffs and help on special teams. Strength down the middle can be huge for any team looking to go far in the postseason and adding Monahan helps in that regard.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
