Just two days after the Vancouver Canucks orchestrated a blockbuster trade for a potential difference-making forward, the Winnipeg Jets are on the verge of doing the same.
“Still not finalized, still details to be worked out, but all indications are that the Montreal Canadiens are trading Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets,” reported TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun on Friday morning.
LeBrun's colleague Darren Dreger confirmed shortly after that Monahan was heading to Winnipeg for a first-round pick.
“Trade call between the Jets and Canadiens happening soon,” Dreger reported. “Sean Monahan to the Jets for a 1st and a conditional pick. Excellent asset management by the [Canadiens] and a very good add by the [Jets].
Monahan is a huge add for a Jets team that has legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations in 2024. Details are still being worked out, but it looks likely that the 29-year-old will be moving from one Canadian city to another for at least the rest of the season.
Dreger reported on Wednesday that the Elias Lindholm-Vancouver Canucks blockbuster trade could lead to more interest in Monahan, who is also a center and could be acquired for a cheaper price than the Swede.
And it looks like that's exactly what has happened.
Monahan is in the midst of a huge bounce-back year, scoring 13 goals and 35 points over 49 NHL games in 2023-24. After being limited to just 25 games due to injury last season, it's been an encouraging campaign for the Canadian.
Sean Monahan was drawing tons of interest
Here's what Dreger said about Monahan last month:
“No different from any other year, there are teams looking for centremen and depth at that position – or a top-two or top-three centreman. We're looking at Colorado. We're looking at Boston, the Edmonton Oilers, maybe even the Washington Capitals if they stay in the mix leading up to the trade deadline. Twenty-nine-year-old Sean Monahan of the Montreal Canadiens is healthy, and he is having a decent year.”
It looks like none of the teams Dreger mentioned — the Avs, Bruins, Oilers and Capitals — were able to secure his services. Instead, Monahan will be headed to Manitoba to join the surging Jets. Over 730 career NHL games, he's amassed 231 goals and 514 points.
“You gotta go back to the off-season and when the Canadiens signed the veteran forward. They had an agreement that said we will trade you when the time is right to a contending team or a team of your choice. Nothing has changed there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Monahan was among the first forwards to get dealt before the deadline,” asserted Dreger.
And he was right.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Sean Monahan is making a team-friendly $1.985 million for the rest of the season, and should be a key addition to a Jets team that is looking to go deep in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.