Monahan’s impact with the Winnipeg Jets undeniable Versatile centre ‘a perfect fit’ for Jets, says Bowness By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 5:44 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024

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This article was published 21/02/2024 (924 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s already quite apparent why the Winnipeg Jets had their sights set on Sean Monahan.

It’s also obvious why he’s been a player of interest to the organization dating back to his draft year in 2013.

Sure, a lot has changed since the Jets watched him play his junior hockey with the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League, but plenty has stayed the same.

Monahan is a player who brings a number of winning traits to the table, both in terms of skill set and personality.

He’s a high-character individual who has quickly earned the trust of his teammates and the coaching staff.

That Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was willing to make a pre-emptive strike in late January and part with a first-round draft pick in 2024 to obtain Monahan should tell you all you need to know when it comes to how much the organization values the player.

Just listen to the words of Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi after Monahan scored for a third consecutive game in Tuesday’s 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild to give him five goals and five points in seven outings since he was brought in from the Montreal Canadiens.

“Really smart player,” said Vilardi. “He’s going to keep getting better as he keeps getting more comfortable. But yeah, we are all seeing how good he can be.”

Monahan will take that three-game goal-scoring streak into Friday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

“He’s going to keep getting better as he keeps getting more comfortable. But yeah, we are all seeing how good he can be”–Jets forward Gabriel Vilardi

While it’s important to remember the sample size is still small, Monahan’s impact is undeniable.

Even in those first four games when he was held without a point, he found a way to make a contribution as he settled in with his new team.

Immediately, he provided a boost in the faceoff circle for a club that needed one.

Speaking of boosts, his ability to find space, distribute the puck and create shooting lanes for himself and others has sparked a power play that has been near the bottom of the NHL for most of the campaign.

His ability to win draws comes in especially handy with the man advantage, as part of the Jets funk was related to often chasing the puck down the ice after struggling in the faceoff circle and that spilled over to some zone entry issues that were compounded by a lack of movement and predictable behaviour once the group got established in the offensive zone.

Now, this isn’t to suggest Monahan has come in, thrown on the Superman cape and been a one-man army.

Part of Monahan’s ability to make a seamless transition is understanding what is being asked of him and adjusting accordingly.

He’s quickly become an important cog in the wheel, handling substantial minutes while playing in all situations.

When Jets head coach Rick Bowness felt Monahan was ready to add additional responsibilities, he added penalty-killing duties to his portfolio.

Despite the recent offensive dry spell for Cole Perfetti (no goals and one assist in the past 14 games) and Nikolaj Ehlers (10 games without a goal, one assist in the past nine games), it stands to reason that Monahan’s vision and smarts could help get both of his wingers back on track as the trio gets more comfortable with one another.

In 13 seasons since the Jets returned, they’ve moved out a first-round selection just three times — and one of those times they got one back when they traded Jacob Trouba to the Rangers in the same year they got Kevin Hayes.

That’s the cost of doing business when a team is trying to go on a prolonged playoff run and play deep into May or even June.

You can add Monahan to the growing list of players acquired via trade by Cheveldayoff, who hit 500 victories as the GM of the Jets on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

Going back to the 2022 NHL trade deadline, the Jets have acquired Morgan Barron, Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Monahan while bringing back Mason Appleton from the Seattle Kraken after losing him in the expansion draft.

Those players have bolstered the core group of homegrown forwards the Jets have been leaning on for years.

“You’ve got to bring the right guys in with the right temperament and the right abilities and (Cheveldayoff has) done that”–Head coach Rick Bowness

“Sean Monahan’s a perfect fit for us,” said Bowness. “You’ve got to bring the right guys in with the right temperament and the right abilities and (Cheveldayoff has) done that.”

When it comes to trade-deadline acquisitions, Paul Stastny is the poster child for being a perfect fit for the Jets in 2018 during the run to the Western Conference final, while Hayes went into the history books as more of a cautionary tale that the best intentions don’t always bring comparable results.

However, it’s important to remember the reason for acquiring Hayes was still sound and he had the tools the Jets were looking for, even if the move didn’t end up working out the way both parties envisioned.

Both players departed as unrestricted free agents, though Stastny was brought back in a trade two years later and spent two more seasons filling the second-line centre role effectively.

Which brings us to one final point to consider: is Monahan someone who could fill that role moving forward, rather than just being the latest rental to help for the stretch run and move on as an unrestricted free agent?

It says here that should — and will — be a priority when the off-season arrives, if not sooner.

With raises coming to Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck on extensions that kick in next season, that Perfetti needs a new deal as a restricted free agent and that decisions are still required on defencemen Brenden Dillon and Dylan DeMelo, there are some challenges that come along with fitting everything under the salary cap — even with it being on the rise.

Given Monahan’s age (he’ll be 30 in October), track record and performance to date, offering him a three or four-year extension with a significant-but-not-bank-breaking bump from the $2 million (including bonuses) show-me contract he was on this season would be a prudent business decision.

It would lock down a position of need and align perfectly with the Jets’ window to win.

Although his injury history has to be a consideration, Monahan’s ability to come back from those setbacks is both a badge of honour and a signal that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to be a difference-maker on the ice.

Those negotiations can play out in the summertime when more evidence is available.

Given what he’s already bringing to the table and the value he should provide once the Stanley Cup playoffs arrive, trying to convince Monahan to stick around beyond this spring feels like a foregone conclusion.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld