Sean Monahan admits: the Habs’ future could tempt him back

Since yesterday, there’s been a lot of talk about the Sean Monahan deal in Montreal. Despite his short stint with the Habs, the center forward has quickly become a crowd favorite, but also a locker room favorite.

Nick Suzuki looked pretty sad to see his teammate traded yesterday.

But, as the saying goes, one man’s misfortune is another man’s gain… and the Canadiens’ players’ misfortune is another man’s gain for Rick Bowness, who was quick to praise his new protégé today. He spoke of him as a solid player on 200 feet, and above all, a guy whose early arrival will facilitate his adaptation to the group.

For the Tricolore, on the other hand, getting a first-round pick (and a conditional third-round pick) for a 29-year-old veteran whose contract will expire at the end of the season is also a good thing. His injury history may have scared off some clubs, but Monahan can help a team win games.

He’s done it with the Habs this season, anyway.

The question, though, is what’s in store for Monahan this summer, when he’ll be a free agent… and while appearing on Chris Nilan’s excellent Raw Knuckles Podcast, Monahan admitted that the future of the Habs means he’s not ruling out a return to town in the summer.

It’s worth noting that the interview was conducted before the deal that sent him to Winnipeg, but he did mention the possibility “no matter what”.

Kent Hughes admitted it in a press briefing yesterday: Monahan is a great player who has helped the Habs win games, but he wasn’t in a position where he had enough clarity to offer him a contract extension right away. So, he wanted to trade him to a good team to give him a chance to play in the playoffs and, perhaps, win the Stanley Cup.

Because in the podcast, Monahan really insists that’s what he hopes to accomplish most. He’d rather win the Cup than win a gold medal at the Olympics, among other things.

And while we’ll have to see if the Habs are in a position to offer him a big contract to entice him back (and, more importantly, if Monahan really wants to come back, because things can really change in the next 4-5 months), he remains a guy who has been a good mentor in the dressing room.

Monahan also explains in the podcast that he worked hard to mentor Juraj Slafkovský as he understood the reality of being an NHL kid at 18-19, and even though he’s a bit older at 22, Cole Perfetti will also be able to benefit from Monahan’s expertise, as they’ll be teammates in Winnipeg.

After all, Monahan lived through it all in Calgary, too. He’s well placed to understand and help these youngsters.

I’ll give you the link HERE if you’d like to listen to the interview in its entirety, and frankly, it’s worth it. Chris Nilan’s podcast always brings interesting new information when current players are visiting(the recent episode with Kirby Dach was particularly interesting, among others), and this interview with Monahan is no exception.

In bursts

– Connor Bedard feels ready to return to the game. Expect to see him miss a few more weeks, however, as the Blackhawks look to keep a close eye on their protégé.

– A magnificent goal from Brandon Gignac with the Rocket.

– In the end, he joined the Dodgers.

– To be continued.

According to ESPN, Kylian Mbappé will join Real Madrid this summer!https://t.co/BER5l0vjyO pic.twitter.com/m1DDjLLlz7

– RDS (@RDSca) February 3, 2024

– The Lakers are on a roll.