The Montreal Canadiens are starting to look like they will be sellers ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
I mean, we kind of knew that at the start of the season. But they did hang around the playoff race just a little bit longer than we thought before a recent lull really knocked them back down to earth. They are not quite at the bottom of the NHL standings but they are starting to inch closer to the basement as the season goes along.
With a fairly young roster already in place, we can't expect a big firesale as we lead up to the trade deadline. We can leave that to the Calgary Flames. However, the Canadiens are clearly not going to be in the market for a top scorer or first pairing defenseman at the deadline. They will be realistic and sell off a few assets.
The most obvious player to trade right now is Sean Monahan. The veteran center is having a steady season as a two-way player with 11 goals and 31 points in 47 games. He is also a pending unrestricted free agent which means the Canadiens either trade him soon or lose him for nothing in the offseason.
Considering he is a terrific faceoff guy, puts up solid production on offense and is not going to hurt a team defensively, he is a valuable commodity on the trade market. The fact his cap his is less than $2 million this season just makes a trade that much easier to pull off.
Many teams, including the Boston Bruins, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals could be interested in Monahan's services as a second or third line center.
With such a robust market for a two-way center, the Canadiens are going to get some serious offers for Monahan. Let's take a look at what three of them could be.