Folks, it appears the trade market is off and running. Less than 48 hours after the Vancouver Canucks acquired Elias Lindholm, the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens linked up on a trade that sent Sean Monahan to the Jets for a couple of draft picks. Here are the full details:
With a thin center market, teams in search of depth down the middle are not wasting any time. And with the high costs of Lindholm and Monahan, the market may be set. Let’s grade each side.
Jets Pay Big Price for Center Upgrade
The Jets didn’t have great center depth with Mark Scheifele in the lineup, but with him missing some time with an injury, that got further exposed. Per Elliotte Friedman on the Feb. 1 episode of The Jeff Marek Show, the Jets were probably in on Lindholm, so it’s clear they were looking for a center.
They got their man in Monahan, who’s having one of his best seasons in recent memory. At the time of the trade, he had 13 goals and 35 points in 49 games, putting him on pace to finish with 22 goals and 58 points this season.
Related: Jets Acquire Sean Monahan From Canadiens
Monahan’s offensive game is clearly his strength, as that’s where he provided the most value for the Canadiens this season. His even-strength offense has been worth a goals above replacement (GAR) of 4.2, and he’s helped on the power play, with his play on the man advantage being worth a GAR of 2.6.
Where Monahan struggles is defensively. For what he creates and produces offensively, he gives plenty of it back in his own end. His even-strength defense has been worth a GAR of minus-4.2, a number that ranks 14th worst among all forwards league-wide this season.
In saying that, Monahan should help the Jets add some offense from the center position. The key will be keeping his ice time sheltered and away from tough defensive assignments. If the Jets plan to use him as a two-way centerman, they won’t extract the most value from him, so putting him in a position to succeed is a must.
Even then, it’s difficult to say the Jets won this trade. Sure, they’re strengthening a position of need, and Monahan will help add scoring punch. But giving up a first-round pick and another conditional pick for someone who’s a middle-six center seems like a relatively gross overpay, even if that’s what the market is dictating at the moment.
The center market is thin, especially with Lindholm coming off the board less than 48 hours ago. But this wasn’t the best asset management from Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, especially since Monahan will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Jets Grade: C+
Canadiens Managed Monahan Perfectly
On the other end of this trade is a team that should be thrilled with the return they got for Monahan. After acquiring a first-round pick to take on Monahan’s contract from the Calgary Flames, they added another first to their cupboard about 18 months later.
The Canadiens managed the whole situation well, too. They would have likely moved Monahan at last season’s trade deadline. But he was out with an injury, making him unavailable to teams. Instead, the Canadiens re-signed Monahan to a one-year deal for 2023-24, and he proved it was the right decision.
Not only has Monahan stayed healthy, but he’s been productive, as mentioned above. The Canadiens now have two firsts in the upcoming 2024 draft, and they still have the Flames’ first they acquired to take on Monahan’s contract, which sits in the 2025 draft.
There’s really not much to dislike about what Canadiens GM Kent Hughes did in handling Monahan. He was patient, capitalized on a market that appears to have a high price for centers, and brought in another first-round pick for a team that’s still rebuilding. What they do with the first remains to be seen, but they’re stocked on a draft capital for 2024, with 12 picks over seven rounds.
Canadiens Grade: A
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Advanced stats from Evolving Hockey