Sean Monahan could be one of the first forwards to be traded before the March 8 trade deadline, with the Montreal Canadiens expected to honor a previous deal with the veteran center.
TSN insider Darren Dreger reports that the Habs and Monahan agreed upon signing his contract extension this offseason that he would be traded to a contender club as the trade deadline approached. transactions.
“Like every year, there are teams looking for center players and depth at that position, or a center player capable of playing on the first two or three lines,” Dreger explained on the show Insider Trading THURSDAY. “There’s Colorado, there’s Boston, the Edmonton Oilers and maybe even the Washington Capitals if they stay in the playoff race until the trade deadline. Sean Monahan, 29, of the Montreal Canadiens, is healthy and having a decent year. ”
“We have to go back to the off-season and when the Canadian signed the veteran striker. They had an agreement with him which said we will trade you at the appropriate time to a team that aims big or to a team of your choice. Nothing has changed in this regard. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Monahan is one of the first forwards to be traded before the deadline. ”
Monahan was the fourth most attractive player on the market according to TSN’s rankings released Wednesday, just behind teammate Jake Allen. He has 11 goals and 24 points in 40 games this season, after being limited to 25 games due to injury last year.
Acquired by Montreal in 2022 from the Calgary Flames along with a first-round pick, Monahan signed a one-year contract extension worth $1.985 million last summer.
Vancouver wants a top striker
The Vancouver Canucks intend to improve their forward group as the trade deadline approaches, reports our TSN colleague Pierre LeBrun.
“I had the chance to meet with Jim Rutherford, President of Hockey Operations, and one of the things we discussed was the trade deadline. One of the things he said is that the Canucks are currently looking at adding a top forward,” LeBrun told Insider Trading on Thursday. “It should be noted that there are seven and a half weeks until March 8 and that could change, but that was the answer he gave when I asked if there was a potential need.
“The Canucks have been pretty busy since mid-September. General manager Patrik Allvin added goaltender Casey DeSmith, Sam Lafferty and, of course, Nikita Zadorov. But they are not finished. They are having a special year […] and they would like to add other players. ”
The Canucks lead the Pacific Division with 59 points in 42 games. The club is on track to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
As a result of previous trades, the Canucks are without a second-round pick this year and gave up their 2024 third-round pick in the trade for DeSmith and their 2025 third-round pick to acquire Zadorov. The team also has less than $350,000 of wiggle room under the salary cap, according to the site CapFriendly.
Forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who has struggled this season with eight goals and 19 points in 36 games, was the only Canuck listed on TSN’s list of most attractive players on the market, ranking 9th. The 27-year-old signed a two-year contract during the off-season that pays him an average annual salary of $5.5 million, after collecting 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games in his first season with the team.
Winners of four straight games, the Canucks are one point behind the Winnipeg Jets for first place in the overall standings with one more game to play.
