The New York Rangers are back in action tonight (Feb. 5) after a long break for All-Star Weekend. Leading up to the break, they were playing extremely well and sat first in the Metropolitan Division. While they will likely be going all-in with hopes of winning a Stanley Cup this season, they dodged a bullet recently. The Montreal Canadiens chose to trade Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 third-round pick. Monahan could have been a solid addition to the Rangers and will likely provide solid offensive production heading into the postseason, but they were smart not to pay a first-round pick for him.
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If the Rangers choose to go all-in and make some additions to their roster, several names in trade rumors including Anthony Duclair, Chris Tanev, and Vladimir Tarasenko could help their team heading into the postseason, but the price the Jets paid for Monahan gives an idea of what others might cost. He is a strong offensive player and has proven his worth during his bounce-back campaign with the Habs this season, but his defensive play isn’t strong. It’s fair to assume it will improve under head coach Rick Bowness, but it’s something that may have steered numerous teams away from acquiring him.
As we can see from Monahan’s RAPM chart from Evolving Hockey, he provides strong value in the offensive zone and on the power play but struggles in the defensive zone. As mentioned, his defensive game will likely even out under the Jets’ defensive scheme along with his offensive production likely staying consistent alongside stronger teammates, but based on his performance so far this season, he wasn’t worth a first-round draft pick. The Rangers will surely look to find a stronger addition closer to the trade deadline, and they didn’t miss out on the best asset available by any means.
Who Is Sean Monahan & Why Didn’t The Fit Make Sense?
Monahan is a 29-year-old left-shot forward from Brampton, Ontario who stands 6-foot-1, 201 pounds. He was drafted in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Calgary Flames at sixth overall after a strong season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Ottawa 67’s where he scored 31 goals and added 47 assists for 78 points through 58 games. Over three seasons in the OHL, he scored 84 goals and added 119 assists for 203 points through 185 games which comes out to a 1.10 points-per-game average. He built himself a reputation as an offensive powerhouse and had the potential to turn into a strong top-six forward in the NHL if he could transfer that production.
Monahan did exactly that in his rookie season with the Flames scoring 22 goals and adding 12 assists for 34 points through 75 games. He maintained a strong point production each season until the 2020-21 season when he began to slow down. The Flames chose to trade him, along with a first-round pick, to the Habs to dump his contract. For Monahan, he had a chance to bounce back with the Canadiens and that’s exactly what he did. He dealt with injuries through his first season but still had 17 points through 25 games. This season before the trade, he scored 13 goals and added 22 assists for 35 points through 49 games.
Monahan was able to prove his worth and save his spot in the NHL with an impressive showing with the Canadiens, and is looking to continue making a case for himself as a pending unrestricted free agent. While the Jets will surely be looking to extend him should the fit work out well and he is a good part of their postseason success, he will still be trying to prove himself as he looks to earn a contract for next season.
Monahan will play center in the middle-six with the Jets as he adds depth to their team. For the Rangers, he would not have taken a spot away from Mika Zibanejad or Vincent Trocheck, and he likely would have played on the third and fourth lines for the remainder of the season. While it would have been nice to add some strength down the middle, it doesn’t make sense to move a first-round pick for a bottom-six forward. His defensive struggles will likely be fixed with the Jets’ scheme, but I think they would have remained noticeable with the Rangers.
While the Rangers would like to add a strong centerman in their bottom-six for a playoff run, they have been patient for the right trade to come along. Monahan would have made sense as a rental on the fourth line to help bolster the scoring but again, they weren’t going to move a first-round pick for someone to play that role. Hopefully, they can pull off a trade to fill that hole up the middle, just not for as big of a trade package.