TSN’s Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger report the Montreal Canadiens are trading Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a first-round pick and a conditional pick pending trade call.
NHL.COM: Trade confirmed. Monahan to the Jets in exchange for the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in 2027.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: TSN’s John Lu reports the Jets are shoring up their depth at center with Mark Scheifele currently sidelined by a lower-body injury. They went 2-3-1 during his absence before the All-Star Break.
This is an affordable addition for the Jets, who were jockeying for first overall before Scheifele was injured. The 29-year-old Monahan carries a $1.95 million salary for this season. He is enjoying a bounce-back performance after missing most of last season due to lower-body injuries. He was third on the rebuilding Canadiens in scoring with 35 points in 49 games. He’ll slot into the second-line center position behind Scheifele.
The Canadiens got a conditional 2025 first-round pick from the Calgary Flames in 2022 for taking on the remainder of Monahan’s former contract which carried a $6.35 million cap hit. This deal with the Jets means they now have two first-rounders in this year’s draft and two in 2025. That provides them the option of keeping those picks for themselves or using some of them as trade bait to bring in some established young talent.