The rumor chatter will pick up significantly after this week’s All-Star break and one of the hottest names will be Montreal’s Sean Monahan.
The big center will be drawing attention from the likes of New York, Boston, and Colorado, not only because of his size (6’2…, 202 lb), experience (11 seasons) and offensive numbers (34 points in 47 games – best since 2019-20), but primarily because his cap hit is less than $2 million and the Habs can make him less than $1 million by retaining salary.
Canadiens GM Kent Hughes may be looking for a 1st round pick for the 29-year-old, which might be too rich for some club’s blood, but if it is a conditional pick, they might be able to get that for a team desperate for help up the middle.