TORONTO (AP) — Sean Monahan was acquired by the Winnipeg Jets from the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, providing additional depth at centre for the team’s potential postseason run. The Winnipeg Jets are among the Western Conference’s top Stanley Cup contenders.
For the pending free agent, Winnipeg sent its first-round selection in 2024 to Montreal along with a conditional third-round pick in 2027. Two days prior to the trade, Calgary’s centre Elias Lindholm was acquired by the NHL’s top rival Vancouver Canucks.
During a video conference with reporters, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes stated in French, “The teams that were in the race for Lindholm shifted to Sean.” Thus, things were accelerated.
After Mark Scheifele, the acquisition of Monahan provides the Jets with a formidable one-two punch down the middle. With Vladislav Namestnikov and captain Adam Lowry already in the lineup, the Jets appear to have the centres necessary to challenge any team in the NHL.
GM Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Jets stated, “We think this is a good fit.” “A trade was not going to happen if there wasn’t a fit out there. We were just lucky that opportunity and timing coincided and allowed us to pull it off.
With Scheifele’s lower-body injury, the Jets have struggled, so Monahan fills a critical need. The team has dropped four of their last six games without Schefiele, who is anticipated to return following the All-Star break, despite leading the league in mid-January.
“You’re going to feel that over time because Mark Scheifele is a driver on our team and one of our group leaders, so you can’t replace him,” Cheveldayoff remarked. “He provides us with a lot of value.”
Let’s introduce Monahan, a 29-year-old veteran of 11 seasons in the league with Calgary and Montreal, who has played in 760 regular-season and playoff games. In 49 games this season with the rebuilding Canadiens, he has 35 points.
He is an experienced, professional player, according to Cheveldayoff. “This just adds to the overall theme of where we are in terms of depth and dimension this year,” the statement reads. The coaches can employ this player in a variety of ways.
Hughes maintained that Lindholm joining the Canucks was more important in determining the timing of the trade than Monahan’s history of injuries.”One attempts to comprehend the market,” stated Hughes. “One attempts to ascertain who is or could be considering the services of, say, Sean Monahan, what the potential benefits would be, and one weighs that against the risk of any player, not just Sean Monahan.”
