The Montreal Canadiens and general manager (GM) Kent Hughes followed through with a move that was expected by nearly everyone. He traded Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets in return for a first-round pick and a conditional pick.
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This trade, despite its excellent value, leaves a massive hole in the Canadiens lineup. Monahan’s role on the team allowed Montreal to remain competitive and will hurt the club in the short term. The depth at center has taken a hit, the questions they now face is how does they adjust the roster, and how does this help in the long run?
Canadiens Masterful Asset Management
Reports were that there was a deal in place when Hughes re-signed Monahan to a team-friendly, one-year, $1.985 million deal last offseason to trade the center to a contender by the deadline. Hughes again proved to be a man of his word and followed through.
Montreal got not one but two first-round picks just by taking on Monahan’s contract and then having the patience to stick with him until he could have a season without injury to offload him. This is a masterful asset management by the Canadiens’ GM. As this is a rebuild, it isn’t a surprise to see the veteran, who is on an expiring contract get traded.
If past actions are predictors of future decisions, this will happen. Over each of the last two drafts, Hughes has traded first-round picks to bring in talented former first-rounders Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. Each was young, inexpensive cap-wise, on the upswing of their development, and now, with the Jets first added to his draft arsenal, Hughes has re-armed to do it again.
Canadiens Depth Emptied Out
The depth at center for Montreal is now so shallow that it’s a puddle. After Nick Suzuki, the only proven NHL center is Jake Evans, who is ideally a fourth-line center. This likely means Suzuki will be playing up to 25 minutes per game, as he had last season when Montreal faced this issue. It’s clear from the comments made by Hughes following the trade that there is no plan to find a replacement via trade this season.
“We have reasons to be optimistic that Alex Newhook will be back soon, so that gave us a certain amount of confidence to make the trade now rather than wait. We’ve seen a bit of Mitchell Stephens, and then Lucas Condotta, for six weeks, and I think we’re going to continue having that style of player who will help us on the fourth line.”
– Kent Hughes
By not finding help now, this will hurt the team in the standings this season. Which means the Canadiens could end up with another top five draft pick in 2024. Which in a rebuild is helpful as it provides management a better draft position. It also provides an opportunity for Hughes to assess what he has in the system, judge where the players are in their development and help to decide who he believes should stay and who should go.
Canadiens Leave Gaps
From faceoffs to penalty kill (PK), power play (PP), leadership to point production, losing Monahan hurts. There is no way to replace it all in the short term. On the PP, Juraj Slafkovsky could be slid into the net front presence Monahan filled; while the success rate may dip, it provides the 19-year-old an opportunity to play a role that fits his strengths. On the PK, it gives players like Jesse Ylonen an opportunity to add some more ice time and prove himself capable of doing more than playing an energy role.
The return of Alex Newhook helps to offset the loss of offensive production. The 23-year-old forward has appeared in 23 games with Montreal this season, scoring seven goals and 13 points. While his return would help to bolster the Habs’ offensive losses with Monahan’s trade, it still leaves a hole at center and in the faceoff circle.
Canadiens Short Term Fill-Ins
There is no short-term solution to faceoffs. Head coach Martin St. Louis will have to prepare a game plan that helps to mitigate the loss of possession stats. In spite of all of that, Hughes and company will need to bolster the lineup from within. Here are some options that could be of interest.
Joshua Roy
By the end of his six NHL games call-up, Roy looked like he belonged in a top-six role. Granted, he had the veteran Monahan playing center for him, making the transition easier.
At the pro level, he is better suited to play the wings. If he were to be called up to play center, it would be a difficult adjustment as it is a position he has played sparingly since his third season of junior hockey. To support him in that role, he would need two veteran wingers who can support him defensively on a third line. The problem with that is on the Canadiens roster, that would mean sacrificing offensive opportunities as the depth of skill isn’t able to fill a top-six, let alone a top-nine properly. Roy is better off remaining in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the rest of the season, where he can play a larger role on a team that is competing for a deep playoff run. And the recall of Mitchell Stephens, a player that isn’t expected to remain in the organization for the long term, can be used to fill the gap.
Brandon Gignac
Brandon Gignac is a 26-year-old center who is leading the AHL Laval Rocket in points with 13 goals and 41 points in 42 games played. He is a player known for his speed, on-ice vision, and improved defensive play. His consistency and professionalism should have earned him a call-up this season. Except he doesn’t have an NHL contract. Gignac is on an AHL deal, and if Hughes were to decide he is the player to be used to fill an NHL role, he would need to be signed to an NHL deal for the rest of the season.
Lias Andersson
The most likely option at this point is Lias Andersson. When he was signed this past offseason, it gave the former top-10 draft pick an opportunity to prove that he could be a regular NHL player, but he needed to earn his way onto the roster first. After suffering an injury, Andersson had a slow start in his return. However, he has found his lost stride and then some having scored 11 points in his last 10 games. This has helped him get to 13 goals and 21 points in 25 games played in Laval.
Andersson was drafted seventh overall by the New York Rangers when Jeff Gorton was the GM and Nick Bobrov was the Director of European Scouting for the Rangers. Now, they are with the Canadiens and likely had a major role in getting him to sign his one-year deal with Montreal. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward can struggle in the face-off circle, so he is probably better off on the wing than at center. However, his mobility can fill the gap temporarily at center, as he is a tenacious forechecker, goes to the net, plays well in transition and is capable defensively. He is by no means a replacement, but he is a player with NHL experience desperate to prove himself. Also, as someone with only eight penalty minutes, he plays a disciplined style of game that would help to minimize the number of penalties the Canadiens’ 29th-ranked PK is on the ice.
Building a winning team takes more than just one or two moves; it takes patience. The Monahan trade and return fit with the plan, and one that takes years. Because of that, there is no expectation that help will be coming by way of trade to solve some of the center depth issues this season. Fans will need to prepare themselves for 33 games where the team plays inconsistently, has difficulty winning, yet has the occasional game where they look like world-beaters. The payoff to the decisions made this season will be seen at the 2024 draft table.
