Sean Monahan: Friday morning, the Jets weren’t alone, believes Elliotte Friedman

What will the Canadiens look like without Sean Monahan? Will it look like the club that had no direction when he was injured in December 2022? Is he better equipped today?

Who knows?

I was one of those who would have liked to keep Monahan for a few more years. That said, if the player was asking for too much money, I can understand why Kent Hughes traded him when his price was right.

After all, his injury history can/should be scary.

I don’t know if he’ll be the only notable departure between now and the deadline, but we know he’ll create a big hole. The Habs will have to rise up as a group to replace him between now and April.

But that’s not Monahan’s problem anymore. At this point, his goal will be to eat up big minutes in Winnipeg, to help his team win the Stanley Cup and to help himself become an attractive free agent.

The Canadiens traded him to Winnipeg, and it’s safe to assume that he had a say in the deal. It’s logical to think that even without trade protection in his contract, Kent Hughes went to see the veteran to talk to him about Winnipeg.

And surely, if he’s a member of the Jets, it’s because he said yes. Monahan is respected.

At least, listening to Elliotte Friedman, you can tell that’s what he thinks. On his podcast (32 Thoughts), he seemed to think that Monahan had talked to some Jets members before saying he was comfortable with finishing his season in Manitoba.

But that’s not all he said.

Friedman said that on Thursday night, the day before the deal, he received a message telling him to keep an eye on the Jets. He did so… while watching Justin Bieber perform.

Then, on Friday morning, he was told it might not be the Jets. And in the end, it was the Jets, as we all know.

But all this leads Friedman to believe that a few hours before the transaction, there was another team (we don’t know who) still in the running for Monahan’s services.

In fact, seeing Elias Lindholm leave for Vancouver really accelerated the pace of the Monahan deal. Teams didn’t want to miss out, and the Jets took advantage.

But I wonder which team was (potentially) in the running Friday morning, if any… and if a first-round pick was on the table.

In a gust

– Speak of the devil.

– CHL players could go play in the NCAA after their careers? It’s being discussed.

– Ouch.

– I’m glad she’s happy Jack Hughes skated this morning.

– Not all friends of 514 are in favor of the Olympic Stadium project. A citizen can be against the Stadium, the Kings and the third link.