Despite the New York Rangers’ recent struggles, they remain in a good spot in the Metropolitan Division standings but will need to bounce back if they hope to maintain first place. Their success at the beginning of the season was fun to watch and has shown that they can be a Stanley Cup favorite compared to other contenders around the NHL. The Rangers defeated the Ottawa Senators last night (Jan. 27) with a massive 7-2 victory and have seemingly found their offensive side again. While it’s only one game, it was nice to see the Rangers playing at their best again; however, they have had some recent bad news hit their team.
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After returning to practice after dealing with an injury, Filip Chytil has seemingly suffered another setback in his recovery, leaving a hole in their lineup heading into the second half of the season. While the Rangers will likely wait until closer to the trade deadline to make any big trades to bolster their roster, Elliotte Friedman had some theories on what the Rangers could do to replace him. On the Saturday Headlines segment on Sportsnet last night, Friedman mentioned Montreal Canadiens’ forward Sean Monahan as someone they could be interested in trading for.
Friedman quickly pointed out that this would be a tough deal to pull off as the trade price for Monahan likely sits at least a first-round pick, as well as some potential bad blood between the two organizations. Friedman was also quick to mention that several teams will keep an eye on Monahan’s production heading toward the 2024 Trade Deadline, so it might become a bidding war between a few teams interested in acquiring him.
Who Is Monahan & How Would He Help The Rangers?
Monahan is a 29-year-old left-shot center from Brampton, Ontario, currently playing for the Canadiens. The Calgary Flames drafted him in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, 6th overall, after a strong showing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Ottawa 67’s. Monahan scored 31 goals in his draft year and added 47 assists for 78 points through 58 games. The previous season, he scored 33 goals and added 45 assists for 78 points through 62 games. Over three seasons with the 67’s, he scored 84 goals and added 119 assists for 203 points through 185 games, which comes out to a 1.10 points-per-game average.
Monahan made the Flames in his first season with the organization and had a great rookie season. For his rookie campaign, he scored 22 goals, added 12 assists for 34 points through 75 games, and quickly began to build a reputation as a strong offensive producer and solid two-way forward. He followed his rookie campaign up with a 62-point season through 81 games and began solidifying himself as a star at the NHL level and seemed to be a massive part of the Flames’ future.
Monahan was named an alternate captain in the 2015-16 season and remained consistent offensively. In his third season with the Flames, he scored 27 goals and added 36 assists for 63 points through 81 games. He would remain with the Flames until the end of the 2021-22 season, when the Flames decided to trade him to the Habs, with a first-round pick on top, when his production had dropped in a big way starting in the 2020-21 season. He went from consistently putting up at least 50 points a season, even putting up 82 points in the 2018-19 season, to dropping to under 30 points a season and becoming a healthy scratch.
While he dealt with a major injury during the 2022-23 season and only played 25 games with the Canadiens, Monahan put up six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. Monahan has seemingly found his confidence again this season with the Canadiens, scoring 13 goals, adding 22 assists for 35 points through 49 games, and is on pace to have just under 60 points by the end of the season.
With the Rangers, Monahan could play in the bottom six as the third-line center and add scoring depth to an already lethal group of forwards. His bounce back to an elite level of play has been amazing to see since joining the Habs, and he could be a huge piece for the Rangers’ postseason run. He has strong play at both ends of the ice and could be one of the best trade deadline acquisitions the team has ever had.
Does Monahan’s Contract Hinder Trade Talks?
Monahan is on a one-year deal with the Habs with a $1.985 million cap hit. The Rangers don’t have the money to make a move right now unless they move out a player, but as they continue accumulating cap space for the deadline, they could have just under $3.7 million to work with on the trade market. While the Habs may be willing to retain some salary to maximize a return, the Rangers would be smart to wait it out and not have to worry about retention and bring in his full contract.
With the Rangers’ injury issues this season, specifically with Chytil, which could be long-term, they would be smart to try to bring in Monahan. If they are able to trade for him, he would turn the Rangers into a true favorite and would make them one of the deepest teams in the NHL. Hopefully, the Rangers will try to pull the trigger on a deal for Monahan near the deadline, as I think he would be one of, if not the final piece to the puzzle to a Rangers Stanley Cup victory.