Jets acquire Monahan in deal with Canadiens

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This article was published 02/02/2024 (910 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets are all in this season.

Rather than wait until the March 8 trade deadline, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made a pre-emptive strike Friday to address one of his team’s biggest needs in the hopes of boosting an already rock-solid squad. The Jets sent their 2024 first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for veteran centre Sean Monahan, a pending unrestricted free agent who checks off plenty of boxes for a 30-12-5 team that currently sits first in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference and third overall in the NHL standings in terms of win percentage.

“The message is we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us here. And we’ve got another worker to join the group,” Cheveldayoff said in a Zoom call a few hours after the deal was done. “We have to continue to play the right way for us to be successful. And we believe Sean can be someone that can come in and complement that and play and give different options.”

Monahan, 29, was the sixth-overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft and has 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 49 games with the Canadiens this season, which had him third in team scoring behind Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. He’d been hot lately with 11 points in his last seven contests. The Ontario product, who had a career-high 34 goals and 82 points in 2018-19 with the Calgary Flames but has battled some injury issues in recent years, figures to slot in on the Jets second line with Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers.

“He’s a mature professional player that has learned his craft and become a top player over a course of time in the National Hockey League,” said Cheveldayoff. “We believe this is a good fit. If there wasn’t a fit out there, then there wasn’t going to be a trade. We were just fortunate that timing and opportunity intertwined and we were able to make it happen.”

Not only will Monahan’s presence likely mean more ice time for Perfetti and Ehlers — which has been a bone of contention with many fans and pundits — but it should also have an impressive trickle-down effect on the lineup. That will likely allow Vlad Namestnikov to likely slide down to what could be a potent fourth line between Morgan Barron and Alex Iafallo. The other expected trios — Mark Scheifele with Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi, and Adam Lowry with Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton — give Winnipeg the kind of depth and balance needed for a lengthy playoff run.

“I think Sean is a player that can complement a lot of different players and help them grow their game,” said Cheveldayoff.

“One of the things that was really impressive about him when I was talking to the coaches and the coaches were doing their due diligence and watching some extra film on him, was how he interacted with the young players. You would see that kind of mentorship that he had, quiet leadership on the bench. That’s exactly what you want in a pro. He’s going to help us in a lot of different areas.”

The Jets will also have forwards Rasmus Kupari, David Gustafsson, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Dominic Toninato in the mix, although two of those skaters are going to have to be placed on waivers and sent to the Manitoba Moose in the coming days once Scheifele and Gustaffson are activated from injured reserve. Winnipeg lost defenceman Declan Chisholm on waivers to the Minnesota Wild earlier this week. They also have rookie forwards Brad Lambert and Nikita Chibrikov tearing it up with the Moose, and top prospect Rutger McGroarty could turn pro and join the club once his college season ends in the spring.

No salary was retained by Montreal in the deal, though Monahan’s reasonable cap hit of US$1.985 million means the Jets could still make more moves. Winnipeg would also have to send a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft to Montreal should they win the Stanley Cup this spring.

Safe to say that’s a price they hope they have to pay.

A draft-and development team such as the Jets doesn’t part with first-round picks easily, but this would seem to be the year to roll the dice. Not only is Winnipeg’s slot likely to be in the late 20s given their performance, but they also own Montreal’s second-round pick (as part of the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade) which is likely to be somewhere in the high 30s or early 40s.

“It’s never an easy decision. I think when you’re in a situation like this, and I’ve been on both sides of them, you grind away to not have to trade it, and you grind away to make sure you make the other team give it up. It can be a game of chicken,” said Cheveldayoff.

“But you also have to weigh the alternatives, weigh the options and weigh the fit. When the fit is right, when you believe this is the best option for you, you have to make those tough calls. But that’s what this time of the year is about. It’s exciting, it’s nervous, it’s agonizing. It’s all those kinds of things rolled up in one. But when you’re adding to your group, you’re hopeful that it’s a real positive step for all of them moving forward.”

The move comes two days after the Vancouver Canucks — the only team currently ahead of the Jets in the Western Conference based on win percentage — acquired centre Elias Lindholm from Calgary for a package that included their first-round pick. Lindholm was reportedly on Winnipeg’s radar, too, and Montreal GM Kent Hughes said Friday that those who missed out quickly pivoted to Monahan.

“I think that the urgency, or the timing of things was accelerated to a certain extent by the activity over the start of the break here,” admitted Cheveldayoff.

Lindholm carries a much higher salary than Monahan (US $4.85 million) and has 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 49 games this year. Other contenders in the West have recently beefed up ahead of the deadline, with the Edmonton Oilers adding Corey Perry and the Colorado Avalanche welcoming Zach Parise. Expect more to come in the next five weeks.

Winnipeg’s interest in Monahan dates back to his draft year and he’s someone who can help the Jets in the faceoff circle (55 per cent this season and 50.9 per cent for his career). The Jets are currently ranked 27th at 46.7 per cent in the dot. Monahan could also provide some help to the struggling power play, which is tied for 23rd in the league at just 15.7 per cent and had gone two-for-32 heading into the break. He plays the bumper position and, at 6-2 and 202 pounds, adds some additional size and net-front presence.

“He’s someone that brings a lot of different skills to the table. It just goes to kind of the theme of where we’re at this year in respect to our depth and dimension, and this just adds to it,” said Cheveldayoff.

Monahan is expected to be on the ice with the Jets on Sunday as they return from the all-star break and that’s when he will speak to members of the media for the first time since the trade.

Now the focus turns to what other moves could be coming for Winnipeg by the trade deadline. A depth defenceman, particularly one who can play the right side, would likely be on the shopping list. The Jets have 35 games left in the regular-season, including just 13 against teams currently in a playoff spot. They are in a three-way battle with Colorado and Dallas for top spot in the Central. Winning the division would mean playing a wild-card team and not having to face the Avalanche or Stars in the first round.

“I think the good thing we have right now is we have time between now and the deadline to continue to assess and continue to look at and continue to evaluate,” said Cheveldayoff.

“The work on the ice is only going to get harder, and the work off the ice isn’t going to stop. It’s an exciting time for the guys, for the franchise. We’re just looking forward to getting started here in the second half, or lack of a better term, second half after the all-star break here.”

Winnipeg returns to action next Tuesday against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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