Canadiens May End Up with Two First-Round Picks for Sean Monahan
The Athletic’s and TSN’s Hockey Analyst Pierre LeBrun joined SportsCenter with Jay Onrait, and when asked the value of Sean Monahan, he stated it is not of the realm of possibility the Canadiens could get a first-round pick for the player.
** NHLRumors.com Transcription
NHL Rumors: Is Sean Monahan the Most Attractive Center Available?
Jay Onrait: “You know, looking at Montreal, Sean Monahan’s had a terrific season, and we’ve heard a lot about his name being in play, and you guys have talked about it on Insider Trading. What’s fascinating to me, Pierre, is the question of whether they can get a first-round pick back for him, especially since Calgary had to attach a first-round pick as a sweetener for Montreal to take him in the first place, thereby making it possible that he might be a player who goes to a team with a first-round pick. He gets traded away from a team for a first-round pick. Do you think Pierre LeBrun that the Habs could actually get a first-rounder for Monahan?
Pierre LeBrun: “Yeah, good memory, Jay. Exactly. It speaks to Sean Monahan, being healthier and being more productive since he’s become a Montreal Canadien and, therefore, his asset value is growing and being in a different place than it was when he was still in Calgary playing. The other thing is, you know, in chatting with a couple of teams over the last couple of days on Sean Monahan. Yes, the answer is there are some people who believe, under the right circumstances, that Sean Monahan could fetch a first-round pick for the Montreal Canadiens for a couple of reasons.
NHL Rumors: Sean Monahan Could Get At Least A Second Round Pick
One, his cap hit is just under $2 million, is really low in a cap-challenge environment. And imagine if the Habs eat half of that to make him a player that basically is just under a million at the deadline. That has significant value to it in itself in this environment. But the second one is that there aren’t really that many centers available so far on the trade market. That may change. I mean, last year, players suddenly became available closer to the deadline that we had not identified yet at this juncture, five weeks out.
But as it stands right now, you’ve got Elias Lindholm as the top center available. And then it’s Sean Monahan, and so from that perspective alone, right now, the Montreal Canadiens are sitting there with a player where you’ve got at least six to eight teams looking to upgrade at center and only really two players, I would say that rate above the rest in terms of centers that are available, so because of all those circumstances, yes, I think there is a world in which the Montreal Canadiens can net a first-round pick for Sean Monahan.”