Sean Monahan is now a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
It didn’t take long for the dominoes to fall on the transaction market. After Elias Lindholm was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night, the most attractive center in the league became de facto Monahan. Friday morning, the Habs received the offer they were waiting for for their services.
Monahan was traded for a first-round pick in the 2024 draft as well as a conditional third-round pick in 2027. In the latter case, the condition to be met would be that the Jets win the Stanley Cup this season. The transaction does not involve any salary deduction. The Manitoba team had been mentioned for several days as being one of the potential destinations for the man who spent two seasons in Montreal.
The Canadian acquired Monahan in August 2022. First round pick of the Flames in 2013 (6e in total), the striker was at an impasse in Calgary, after two seasons marked by injuries and failures. Given his high salary at the time, the Flames included a first-round pick in the deal to convince a team to welcome Monahan. What Kent Hughes, general manager of the CH, accepted.
Monahan got off to a strong start in Montreal in the fall of 2022, but two injuries forced him to end his season after 25 games, during which he nevertheless amassed 17 points.
In June 2023, cured of all his ailments, the Ontarian signed a new contract at a low price: one year and 1.85 million. Different media outlets would later write that both camps agreed that Monahan would be traded before the trade deadline if the Habs were not in the playoff race. Kent Hughes, clearly, kept his word.
It must be said that his player gave him good negotiating arguments. Monahan has a record of 13 goals and 35 points in 49 games this season, which places him third in points on his team. He is used on all special teams and spends almost 18 and a half minutes on the ice, night after night. He was also a veteran appreciated by his teammates in the locker room.
In Winnipeg, he will join a line of centers weakened by the absence of Mark Scheifele, injured in the “lower body”. The Jets are flying high speed toward the playoffs, as they battle for first place in the Central Division. The Habs, conversely, are 10 points from the last place giving access to the series in the Eastern Association.