Daily Faceoff: If Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan can stay healthy and keep up with his current play, he could be a nice trade chip for the Canadiens leading up to the NHL trade deadline in March.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Tyler Yaremchuk: “Sticking in the East, how about the Montreal Canadiens. How about the fact that Sean Monahan is off to the start that he is.
Eight points in nine games and this is one where like, you always have those players that you kind of feel for. I look at Monahan, got so banged up the last couple of years, even towards the end in Calgary. They were going on playoff runs for a bit and he had to sit on the sidelines and watch Johnny Gaudreau score big goals against the Dallas Stars.
You look at last year, he got off to a very good start. Had six goals in 25 games, looked like he was going to be a serviceable NHLer, got hurt.
Eight points in nine games. Frank, I am choosing to believe because I would love to see it on a personal level, I’m choosing to believe John Monahan can be 20-25 goal guy this year.”
Frank Seravalli: “I think it’s better than a good story. I think it’s the real deal. I think Sean Monahan when completely healthy is a really competent two or three C on a really good team.
Just look at the numbers that he’s put up when he’s healthy. Last year, 17 points in 25 games. He had six goals. This is someone that before was in the high 20s, low 30s in terms of his production, but hasn’t been able to stay on the ice and hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
Here’s the thing. Sean Monahan just turned 29 years old. It’s not like he’s way past his prime or anything like that. It was before, his contract that was keeping him from being that significant piece that teams could add on a cup contending team.
And now this time around, I think, you know if he can stay on the ice, he’s someone that is going to be an unbelievable trade chip for the Montreal Canadiens as we get closer to the deadline. He’s going to be one of those guys that’s in demand. And I’ll take it one step further, Tyler. I’m gonna say Sean Monahan hits 20 goals before the trade deadline in March.”
