The Montreal Canadiens were able to cash in a couple of key veterans at the past few trade deadlines to receive assets that will greatly help them in the future.
Ben Chiarot being traded for a first round pick definitely help move the rebuild forward. Adding another first round pick as well as Emil Heineman for Tyler Toffoli will help the Canadiens down the road as well.
Those picks turned into Filip Mesar and helped the Canadiens land Alex Newhook in a deal as well. It will take time, but those trades will pay off down the road. Especially considering Chiarot would have left as a free agent by now and Toffoli's contract will be up at the end of this season.
The Canadiens are far enough behind the playoff pack that they will be sellers again this season. The most likely trade candidate on the team right now is Sean Monahan.
The 29 year old is having a solid season with 11 goals and 32 points in 47 games which puts him on pace for 56 points over a full season. He is also a pending unrestricted free agent which means the Canadiens are more likely to trade him than have him play out the season and then leave for nothing in return.
Rumors will continue to pick up as we head toward the March 8 trade deadline, but there has been some talk out there regarding Monahan already.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet added some speculation to the rumors when he discussed some potential interest in Monahan. He claims many people inside the industry believe the New York Rangers will have interest in Monahan. It makes sense since they just lost Filip Chytil to injury and he could be out of the lineup long term.
The Rangers are also among the top teams in the NHL and are in the position to add some help before making a long playoff run.
There has been a lot of talk about whether or not the Canadiens will receive a first round pick for Monahan. His play this season surely makes him worth one, but the Canadiens would be wise to ask about Gabe Perreault who was their first round pick last season.
We will have to wait and see how it all plays out, but there is no question Monahan has been having a great season and is worthy of a big return in a trade.