Snapshots: Kochetkov, Monahan, Cousins, Hughes
Pyotr Kochetkov has been confirmed as the starter for the Carolina Hurricanes’ Tuesday night game against the Vancouver Canucks, per head coach Rod Brind’Amour. This will be Kochetkov’s first game since suffering a concussion on January 11th. He was red-hot before the injury, going 7-1-2 and setting a .924 save percentage in his last 11 games. That includes a four-game winning streak leading up to the injury that saw Kochetkov post a .936 save percentage on 110 shots against.
Carolina has felt the impact of Kochetkov’s absences, seeing their average goals-against jump from 2.45 in Kochetkov’s last 11 appearances to 2.71 in the seven games that he’s missed. That hasn’t been enough of a difference to stifle the red-hot Hurricanes, though the team’s goal-differential has gone from +17 to just +1 in the same periods. The Hurricanes have relied on five different goalies through the 2023-24 season, facing multiple injuries and absences in net. They will hope to find their starting goalie for the second half of the season soon, with both Kochetkov and Frederik Andersen progressing in their return from injury. Andersen has been out since November 2nd with a blood clotting disorder.
Other notes from around the league:
- Sean Monahan will be making his debut with the Winnipeg Jets in their Tuesday night matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, says head coach Rick Bowness. There was some concern about Monahan’s availability after he was absent from the team’s Tuesday morning practice, though Bowness clarified that the team’s morning skates are typically optional. Monahan has 13 goals and 35 points through 49 games this season and was recently traded away from the Montreal Canadiens for a first-round pick and a conditional later-round pick.
- Nick Cousins is set to be activated off of injured reserve and make his return from a concussion on Tuesday. Cousins has been out since January 2nd, missing Florida’s last 12 games. The Panthers have performed well despite his absence, going 8-2-2 and averaging 3.92 goals per game. They will get back a bottom-six forward in Cousins on Tuesday.
- Star New Jersey Devils centerman Jack Hughes has continued to progress in his return from injury, moving into full contact at the team’s Tuesday morning practice. Hughes told reporters at the All-Star Game that he hopes to make his return soon, and he made his return to the team’s practices on Monday. The Devils will hope he can get back as soon as possible, as the 22-year-old has a dazzling 15 goals and 45 points through just 32 games this season – a mark that ranks fifth in the NHL in points per game.
Jets Acquire Sean Monahan From Canadiens
10:39 a.m.: The Canadiens have confirmed the deal as reported.
9:44 a.m.: The Jets are nearing a deal to acquire center Sean Monahan from the Canadiens, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports Friday. Montreal will receive a first-round pick plus a conditional later-round pick in return, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press confirms the first-round pick is Winnipeg’s 2024 selection. Dreger adds the conditional pick is a third-round choice in 2027, which will be transferred to Montreal if the Jets win the Stanley Cup this season.
TSN’s Darren Dreger said earlier Friday that interest in Monahan had spiked after the Flames opened trade season by dealing first-line center Elias Lindholm to the Canucks on Wednesday for an expansive return. The Jets and an undisclosed team were still in talks with the Canadiens as of Friday morning, according to Dreger’s report.
Monahan, 29, is on a one-year contract carrying a $1.985MM cap hit with a $2MM AAV. The difference comes from a $15K performance bonus awarded if he reached 26 games played in 2023-24 that the Canadiens have already paid out, per CapFriendly.
The Jets will not have to concede a roster player in this deal for financial purposes. They have $3.8MM in accumulated cap space at the time of the deal and can absorb Monahan’s full contract without retention. The Athletic’s Arpon Basu confirmed the Canadiens are not retaining salary in the trade.
While Monahan may not have the two-way acumen and minute-munching reputation of Lindholm, he’s outpaced his former Flames teammate on the scoresheet this season. The 2013 sixth-overall pick has managed to avoid injury this season and, as such, is having his best offensive campaign since his career-best 34-goal, 82-point season in 2018-19.
At the time of the deal, Monahan is tied for second on the Habs in goals with captain Nick Suzuki (13), third in assists (22), and ranks third on the team with 35 points. His 399 faceoff wins are the most of any Canadien. After missing the last 57 games of last season with groin and foot injuries, he looks no worse for wear and is shouldering top-six minutes in the process, averaging 18:27 per game.
That production comes despite Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis using Monahan in a shutdown role. 61% of his zone starts at even strength have come in the defensive zone, 16% higher than his career average. As such, he’s struggled to replicate his strong possession numbers from last season’s limited stint in the Habs lineup, but he has posted a positive relative possession share in limited minutes on the penalty kill and contributed two shorthanded goals.
The Jets don’t need Monahan to shoulder such heavy defensive zone usage – captain Adam Lowry has that handled down the middle. He can, however, fill the second-line center role behind Mark Scheifele and create a domino effect in the Jets’ middle six. With Monahan in the fold, capable secondary scoring options Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter can now anchor a third line with Lowry, and 22-year-old Cole Perfetti can maintain a second-line role with a little less responsibility on the wing. Monahan isn’t a long-term acquisition – at least not yet – and making the deal doesn’t impact Perfetti’s long-term standing as a potential piece down the middle in Winnipeg.
Notably, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has now recouped two first-round picks for two seasons and 74 games of Monahan’s play. Montreal acquired a conditional 2025 first-round pick from the Flames to take on the final season of Monahan’s previous contract, which carried a $6.375MM cap hit. After posting six goals and 17 points in last season’s 25-game showing, Hughes signed Monahan to his current one-year deal in June.
While the Jets won’t need to make any salary cap-related moves to get this trade done, they may need to waive two players after the All-Star break if Scheifele and David Gustafsson are ready to return from their respective injuries. Both players are currently on injured reserve, but after acquiring Monahan, the Jets have a full 23-player roster with no room to activate them. The only waiver-exempt player on the Jets’ roster is Perfetti, who won’t be sent down.
Afternoon Snapshots: Olympics, Tanev, Monahan, Kakko
Currently, the last time that NHL players were included in the Olympics was the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Due to a dispute over funding in 2018, the Olympic hockey teams were composed of professional players not currently residing on an NHL roster. Set to go back in 2022, those plans were unfortunately canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games to be shared between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, the NHL is once again looking to send the world’s best hockey players back to the international event. In today’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Chris Johnson reports that Commissioner Gary Bettman is set to meet with the International Ice Hockey Federation tomorrow, and he could make the announcement as soon as Friday in Toronto.
Not only is the league looking for a return to the Olympics, but they are also looking to bring back a World Cup, which would begin in 2028 under the reported deal. Although nothing is currently set in stone, it does appear momentum is heading in the right direction for the return of NHL players to international hockey.
Other snapshots:
- During the Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger mentions a new team interested in the services of Calgary Flames’ defenseman Chris Tanev; the Ottawa Senators. One would have to assume that if the Senators were to acquire Tanev at the trade deadline, an extension would almost have to be worked out, given that they are all but out of the playoff race even at this point in the season. However, the reported interest in Tanev may just be a ploy to drive up the price for their intra-provincial rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
- After a lost season to injury last year, Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan has found himself back on the trade market for this year’s trade deadline. With most teams waiting to see what happens with the Flames’ Elias Lindholm, Pierre Lebrun indicates that once that domino does fall, and Montreal commits to trading Monahan, it is more than likely the Canadiens will be able to fetch a first-round pick for a few months of Monahan, especially if they are willing to retain salary.
- To finish off the reports from Insider Trading, Dreger also indicates that the General Manager of the New York Rangers, Chris Drury, has begun receiving calls on the availability of Kaapo Kakko. With Filip Chytil now missing the rest of the 2023-24 season due to injury, the Rangers have quite the hole down the middle after Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck. Only a few years removed from being the second overall pick, New York could build a package for a center with Kakko as the main piece heading back the other way.
Atlantic Notes: Stamkos, Monahan, Kane
Before the start of the 2023-24 regular season, captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos, rather publicly voiced his frustration with the Lightning organization, primarily over the fact that the team had not yet approached him about a contract extension beyond this season. Although Stamkos had not found his name in any trade speculation up to this point, if Tampa Bay were to fall out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, it would be a reasonable conclusion given the events that took place over training camp.
However, even after succinctly explaining that the Lightning organization would wait until after this season to address the future of Stamkos with the organization, the General Manager of Tampa Bay, Julien BriseBois, states that the team has no interest in moving Stamkos in a trade. This morning, Joe Smith of The Athletic reported that the Lightning would not be moving Stamkos for any reason and that the team envisions Stamkos in Tampa Bay beyond this season.
It shouldn’t be too difficult for the Lightning to retain Stamkos, as it is more than likely he will earn a decrease to his current $8.5MM salary. However, if Tampa Bay believes they are due for a transitionary period as an organization, they may view the available cap space as more prudent than bringing back their long-time captain on another contract.
Other notes:
- One player who has found himself in trade speculation for yet another season is a veteran forward for the Montreal Canadiens, Sean Monahan. However, the General Manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes, still believes everything is on the table in regards to Monahan’s future with the club, and the team may even opt to extend him rather than trade him (X Link). Playing on a one-year, $1.985MM contract for Montreal, Monahan has returned nicely from an injury-riddled 2022-23 season, scoring 11 goals and 25 points in 43 games for the Canadiens this year.
- After leaving the team’s game on Sunday night, Helene St.James of the Detroit Free Press reports that forward Patrick Kane will miss the next two games for the Detroit Red Wings with a lower-body injury. Although the head coach of the team, Derek Lalonde, has assured the media that the organization is not concerned with it being related to Kane’s previous hip issues, there still will be some caution from Detroit moving forward.
Afternoon Notes: Monahan, Thompson, Merzlikins
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on TSN Insider Trading that he believes Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan could be one of the first players moved before the NHL trade deadline. The Canadiens and Monahan struck an agreement on a one-year contract last summer with the understanding that the team would move Monahan to a contending team during the season when the time was right.
For his part, Monahan has been having a decent year and is healthy for the first time in a while. The Brampton, Ontario native has dressed in 41 games and has registered 11 goals and 13 assists while averaging over 18 minutes of ice time a game. The seven-time 20-goal scorer hasn’t topped the 20-goal mark since the 2019-20 season but is on pace for a 22-goal campaign. His contract will also be one of the easier deals to move as he is counting just $2MM against the Canadiens salary cap this season.
In other afternoon notes:
- Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 in Buffalo is reporting that Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson is undergoing imaging today for an undisclosed injury. Thompson was on a mission in last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators as he scored two goals before his exit from the game. He did take a high stick in the second period that forced him to briefly leave the bench, but he did return after that before leaving a second time. Thompson missed a few weeks with a hand injury earlier in the season and was just rounding into form in recent weeks. In 32 games this season, the Phoenix, Arizona native has 14 goals and 13 assists. Sabres head coach Don Granato did tell reporters that Thompson could play tomorrow, meaning that whatever is bothering the 26-year-old may not be too serious, but time will tell.
- Aaron Portzline of The Athletic is reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins commented to the media today that he has not asked the team for a trade, however, he would like the team to find a new scenario for him and the team has agreed with that. What that means is unclear, but Merzlikins did tell reporters that he is not a backup goaltender, something that he is in line to be tomorrow night when the Blue Jackets take on the Seattle Kraken. If Columbus does go the trade route with Merzlikins, it will not be the easiest move to make as the 29-year-old is in the second year of a five-year $27MM contract and has a ten-team no-trade list. Couple his contract, with his uneven play over the past two and a half years and it will be a difficult transaction for the Blue Jackets to make.
Canadiens Notes: Savard, Lindström, Monahan
On an extraordinarily young Montreal Canadiens blueline, veteran David Savard has played a crucial role. The defensive stability he provides on the ice has paved the way for Mike Matheson to play the best hockey of his career, and his 21:26 time-on-ice (including a team-leading 3:40 per game short-handed) has helped the Canadiens achieve a better-than-expected start. But despite how much value he is delivering to Montreal, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels writes in his most recent mailbag that the Canadiens are “going to have to seriously consider moving” Savard “in short order.”
The rationale behind trading Savard is twofold: first and foremost, he could very well return a premium draft pick or prospect due to his quality play, the fact that he’s a Stanley Cup-winning right-shot defenseman, and the fact that he’s affordable for the rest of this season and under team control for $3.5MM for 2024-25. Additionally, the emergence of Jayden Struble combined with the need to re-integrate Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj into the NHL lineup means trading Savard would clear room needed by those players. And it would also be useful with an eye to the team signing top prospect Lane Hutson after his NCAA season concludes. So while Savard is an extremely important defenseman for the Canadiens now, it appears his days in Montreal could be numbered.
Some other notes regarding the 24-time Stanley Cup Champions:
- Since the Canadiens’ upcoming defensive logjam could very well cause David Savard to be traded, it also indicates that Gustav Lindström is unlikely to maintain his spot on the NHL roster with the Canadiens for much longer. According to Engels, the Canadiens are likely to waive or trade Lindström whenever Harris returns. The 25-year-old was acquired from the Detroit Red Wings this offseason and has scored four points in 14 games, averaging 15:16 time-on-ice per game. He has played four games for the AHL’s Laval Rocket this season and could soon become available to the rest of the NHL once again.
- Up front, the number-one Canadiens trade candidate is center Sean Monahan. It must be said that a significant factor impacting Monahan’s trade future is his health, as the seven-time 20-plus goal scorer has suffered significant injuries in recent years. According to Engels, the Canadiens have not yet “concretely discussed an extension” with Monahan, and he could be one of the top forwards available on the market come trade deadline season.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Montreal Canadiens
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Montreal Canadiens.
Who are the Canadiens thankful for?
Mike Matheson has had a tale of two careers.
He was good in his first few seasons in the NHL with the Florida Panthers, showcasing his terrific skating and his ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone. But shortly after signing an eight-year extension the warts in his game began to show and he became a lightning rod for criticism in the Sunshine State.
It wasn’t long after that Matheson was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Colton Sceviour for Patric Hornqvist. Matheson was able to rehabilitate his game and looked like a good fit with the Penguins long-term. However, Penguins general manager Ron Hextall inexplicably wanted to change up the Penguins’ defense and in one day bulldozed his defense core by trading John Marino to New Jersey and Matheson to the Canadiens. Both trades have been a disaster for the Penguins, but the Matheson one stings for several reasons.
Since coming over to Montreal, the 29-year-old Matheson has dressed in 79 games, during that time he has 13 goals and 42 assists and has averaged almost 25 minutes a night in ice-time. He has been a catalyst for the Canadiens offense, and a mentor to many of Montreal’s young defensemen.
Although he has dealt with some injury issues, Matheson has been a driving force for the Canadiens and one that should continue to be an important piece for them in the coming seasons.
What are the Canadiens thankful for?
The Jeff Petry trades.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens made a trade back in July 2022 that sent defenseman Matheson to Pittsburgh in exchange for veteran defenseman Petry and Ryan Poehling. It was a questionable trade at the time for the Penguins as they were giving up a much younger defenseman for a 36-year-old defender with an inflated cap hit. A year after the deal, it’s safe to say that the trade was an absolute heist by the Canadiens. Jeff Petry has been traded twice since the original trade and Poehling was non-tendered and signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Petry was traded by the Penguins to the Canadiens this past August in a move that Pittsburgh had to make to facilitate the Erik Karlsson trade. The Penguins traded Petry, goalie Casey DeSmith, forward Nathan Legare and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick. Hoffman was then moved to the Sharks and Pitlick has toiled in the AHL.
The trade was a great move for Montreal to acquire two futures while unloading two bad contracts. But they weren’t done yet. The Canadiens then traded Petry to the Detroit Red Wings for little-used defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2025. Finally, Montreal was able to complete the trade tree by shipping DeSmith to the Vancouver Canucks for Tanner Pearson and a 2025 third-round pick.
When all was said and done, the Canadiens were able to turn Pitlick, Hoffman, and a retained salary on Petry into Legare, Pearson, Lindstrom, and three 2025 draft picks. It was a creative move by Montreal, that will help them continue to build up their farm system or allow them to acquire additional players should they be more of a contending team in 2025.
What would the Canadiens be even more thankful for?
A Josh Anderson resurgence.
Many critics panned the Canadiens’ trade for Anderson back in October 2020 and for good reason, the trade was followed by the announcement of a seven-year $38.5MM extension that seemed like a massive overpay. In hindsight, it probably was, given that Anderson is carrying a $5.5MM cap hit and hasn’t come close to the 47 points he put up during the 2018-19 season. Since joining Montreal, Anderson has topped out at 32 points (twice), but he did have 40 goals over the two seasons before the start of the 2023-24 season.
This year has seen Anderson struggle more than he has in previous seasons. Through 31 games, the 29-year-old has just four goals and five assists and has been a drag on almost everyone he has played with this season. It’s been a frustrating season for the Burlington, Ontario native, one that he has acknowledged publicly. Just two nights ago, Anderson had an incredible game against the New York Islanders in which he scored two goals and was named the first star of the game. Afterwards, during a post-game interview, Anderson was serenaded by the Canadiens faithful and seemed genuinely humbled by the applause. With any luck, Anderson can use the game to catapult himself back to the heights he experienced when he put up 27 goals with the Columbus Blue Jackets five years ago.
If he can get back to his game, it could go a long way to the Canadiens making an unlikely push for a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.
What should be on the Canadiens holiday wish list?
A goal-scoring forward.
The Canadiens forwards need to score more as they rank near the bottom of the NHL in goals and are currently on pace to not have a single 25-goal scorer. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki both registered 26 goals last year but have just eight each thus far through 31 games, while Sean Monahan and Brendan Gallagher are far removed from the back-to-back 30-goal seasons, they each enjoyed from 2017-2019.
The Canadiens need a game-breaker, which is much easier said than done. Most teams are looking for this type of scorer and they are almost impossible to acquire in today’s NHL. The Canadiens do have a surplus of young defensemen they could choose to trade from, but they would need to find a trading partner that is interested in trading away one of the most coveted pieces in today’s NHL.
The Canadiens have been patient with their rebuild and have made some savvy moves to acquire good young prospects and defensive depth. At some point in the near future, they are going to have to take a risk on an offensively gifted forward. Whether that happens via trade or free agency remains to be seen but they will need to acquire a forward that can put the puck in the net.
Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Monahan, Zacha, Giordano
There is some good news and some bad news on the injury front for the Sabres. Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald notes that wingers Alex Tuch (hamstring) and Jordan Greenway (upper body) could suit up later on in Buffalo’s road trip next week. Both players landed on injured reserve last weekend. Tuch has started to get going offensively in recent weeks, collecting 12 points in 13 games since the start of November while Greenway remains quiet at the offensive end with just seven points in 21 games so far in his first full season with Buffalo.
Meanwhile, the news isn’t as good for Zemgus Girgensons. Hoppe relays that the forward has not progressed in his recovery from his lower-body injury. Head coach Don Granato indicated the initial expectation was that he’d be out for about another week but it appears the Sabres will be without the long-time checker for at least a little longer than that.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Canadiens center Sean Monahan reached his $15K bonus by playing in his 26th game of the year against Los Angeles on Thursday, relays Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette. That brings his total compensation for the season to an even $2MM. Monahan opted for this one-year deal last spring, electing to stay in Montreal where he had early success before multiple injuries ended his year. So far, he has stayed healthy and indicated to Cowan that he’d love to sign a long-term deal to stick with the Canadiens. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll likely be one of the more prominent rentals to keep an eye closer to the trade deadline, as long as he isn’t injured at the time.
- The Bruins announced (Twitter link) that center Pavel Zacha suffered an upper-body injury in today’s game against Arizona and did not return. The injury occurred at some point during the first period. The 26-year-old had 57 points in 82 games last year, his first campaign with the Bruins. Zacha has produced at a similar clip this season, posting 19 points in 25 contests heading into today’s action.
- Maple Leafs defenseman Mark Giordano skated before practice today, notes David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link). It’s the first time he has skated since suffering a thumb injury late last month. The 40-year-old is averaging nearly 18 minutes a night so far this season and with Toronto missing some other blueliners, they’ll certainly be looking forward to getting him back.
Injury Notes: Canadiens, Ehlers, Barlow, Smith
After losing 167 games to injury last season, CapFriendly reports that the Montreal Canadiens have officially activated Cole Caufield, Sean Monahan, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Arber Xhekaj from the injured reserve today. All four returning players are favorable for the Canadiens, each providing value in their own way, but Montreal has some serious work to do in cutting down its roster at the end of training camp. With Caufield, Monahan, and Slafkovsky officially back in the mix, the Canadiens have approximately 17 forwards ready for NHL minutes, give or take a few. There is still plenty of time for General Manager Kent Hughes to make a move or two to thin out the roster, but Montreal realistically will have to use the waiver wire at the beginning of the season to make the necessary room. Caufield, being the most significant return for the Canadiens, is poised for another stellar season, especially in the goal-scoring department. Finishing 26th in total scoring during the 2022-23 NHL season, none of the blame should be put on Caufield. Last year, only playing in 46 total games before shoulder surgery ended his season early, scored 26 goals, a 46-goal pace over a full season. Other injury notes:
- The Winnipeg Jets will have to wait a bit longer to get one of its best players and one of its best prospects back on the ice for training camp. In a report from Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press, head coach of the Jets, Rick Bowness states that forward Nikolaj Ehlers will miss this weekend’s on-ice sessions due to neck spasms, and recently signed 2023 first-round pick, Colby Barlow, would skate in limited action due to an undisclosed illness. Bowness relays that neither player is expected to miss significant time.
- Amongst the longer-term injury news from the day, the Anaheim Ducks have announced via a press release that prospect Konnor Smith will miss between two-four weeks due to a fractured hand, an injury he sustained during the Rookie Faceoff tournament. Smith was the Ducks’ fourth-round pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, recently playing for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, scoring three goals and 12 assists in 65 games last year.
Montreal Canadiens Extend Sean Monahan
After impressing in the early part of the season, Sean Monahan will run it back with the Montreal Canadiens next year. The veteran center has signed a one-year, $1.985MM contract to return in 2023-24. Chris Johnston of North Star Bets adds that the deal has a $15,000 bonus if he plays a certain number of games, which could take it to $2MM total.
Acquired from the Calgary Flames, along with a conditional first-round pick for essentially nothing (future considerations don’t really mean anything), Monahan was a relatively low-risk gamble for the Canadiens. Montreal wasn’t expected to challenge for the playoffs, so even if Monahan’s injury history reared its ugly head and he was a financial anchor, it wouldn’t change things.
Things actually got off to an incredible start, with Monahan showing well coming back from hip surgery. He had 17 points in 25 games and appeared to be a trade chip for the Canadiens to dangle at the deadline.
Then, in early December, he suffered a foot injury that took him out of the lineup. While rehabbing, Monahan suffered a groin injury, which eventually shut him down for the rest of the year after surgery.
That long, varied medical history makes him such an enigma. There has always been talent in Monahan, with three 30-goal seasons under his belt. He reached a career-high of 82 points in 2018-19, but things would soon come crashing down to earth.
Since that season, he has just 116 points in 210 games. In Calgary, he quickly went from a top-line option to someone lucky to get 14 minutes a night in the bottom six. This could be a huge win for the Canadiens if he can rediscover his early-career success.
Still just 28, Monahan will try to use this contract as a springboard to show he’s still a capable NHL talent. Montreal, meanwhile, can use him as a trade chip again, or determine if he’s more of a long-term fit. Either way, the risk of a one-year deal under $2MM is minimal.