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Sean Monahan is in the midst of a fantastic bounce-back season with the Montreal Canadiens in 2023-24, but the veteran might not be calling Quebec home for too much longer.
The Habs will likely move on from the 29-year-old ahead of the Mar. 8 NHL Trade Deadline, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Tuesday.
“Another player that may be chasing a Stanley Cup is Sean Monahan, a pending UFA centre. The Montreal Canadiens most likely will be dealing him, although they haven’t completely closed the door on talking to him about the future and a potential extension,” the insider asserted.
“All things being equal, I do think he’s going to get dealt. Word right now from talking to teams around the league is that teams haven’t put their best foot forward yet. They’re checking in and telling the Canadiens that they want to be in the mix, ‘don’t do anything without checking back with us', but teams seem to want a couple more weeks before getting more serious in their conversations with the Habs on Monahan.”
Sean Monahan worthy of a first?
LeBrun believes that, after recording a very impressive 13 goals and 35 points over 49 games in Quebec, the Canadiens' 2C could fetch GM Kent Hughes at least a first-round pick.
“Part of that I think is attached to the centre market, Elias Lindholm of Calgary being at the top of it, and that having some kind of impact on Monahan. The question is this, could Sean Monahan fetch a first-round pick? From talking to a couple of teams today, a lot of people point to his less than $2 million AAV and say yes, especially if the Habs are willing to eat 50 per cent of that. Stay tuned, Monahan is going to be a hot name before March 8.”
Monahan has made it clear that he loves playing in Montreal and would be open to staying, but he may have played himself out of town. The 2023-24 Habs are firmly out of playoff contention, currently sitting second-last in the Atlantic Division with a middling 20-21-8 record through 49 games.
It would make sense for Hughes to orchestrate a firesale as the rebuild continues in hockey's most storied city.
For that reason, it makes perfect sense for the club to move on from the player ahead of the deadline — which will allow Sean Monahan to compete for a Stanley Cup for the first time since 2020.
