Canadiens GM Kent Hughes: Anything is possible with pending UFA Sean Monahan

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This article was published 15/01/2024 (810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes says he isn’t ruling anything out when it comes to pending unrestricted free agent Sean Monahan.

The Canadiens signed Monahan to a one-year, US$2-million deal last off-season, making him a possible trade candidate ahead of the March 8 trade deadline as Montreal continues its rebuild for another season.

TSN reported last week that the Canadiens agreed when they signed the contract to trade the 29-year-old centre to a contender or a team of his choice before the deadline.

Hughes, speaking Monday morning during a midseason press conference at Bell Centre, said the situation with Monahan is more open-ended.

“(Monahan) is coming in trying to reset right after a number of injury-riddled seasons,” Hughes explained in response to the report. “So the more open-ended situation with Sean was, come here, play, and let’s see where we are when we get to the deadline — and it’s still the case.”

Asked if he would offer Monahan a new contract before the deadline, Hughes responded by saying: “Anything is possible.”

Monahan is producing a strong season with 11 goals and 13 assists while playing in all 42 games after his 2022-23 campaign was cut short by a groin injury.

The Canadiens are eight points behind the playoff cut line, winless in their last three games heading into Monday night’s tilt against Colorado, and are headed toward being sellers at the trade deadline for a third straight season.

“For us, it’s always the same plan,” he said. “Everything we’re going to do will be to improve our team in the future.”

Three-goalie system sticking around, until a trade

Montreal’s unusual three-goalie system is here to stay until the Canadiens can make a trade, according to Hughes.

Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau have split the load all season so far, a rarity in an NHL where having two goalies on the main roster is a custom.

Montembeault, 27, signed a three-year extension last month and has earned the most action with a .909 save percentage in 19 starts.

Allen, 33, has a .900 percentage in 14 starts ahead of Monday’s game, while the 24-year-old Primeau is posting a .905 in nine outings. Both goalies are signed through next season.

Hughes said his brass felt during training camp that Primeau would be claimed by another team if the Canadiens placed him on waivers.

“If there was a trade we could make, we would,” he said. “The plan wasn’t to have three goalies for the entire season. It’s still not the plan, but I can’t tell you 100 per cent today that it’s certain we’ll make a trade.”

Progress, despite the injuries

On the ice, Hughes likes what he sees considering the injuries his coaching staff has had to deal with.

Second-line centre Kirby Dach is out for the season and off-season acquisition Alex Newhook is in the middle of a three-month absence because of a high ankle sprain, among other injuries.

Hughes noted improvements in 5-on-5 play, and the progress of forward Juraj Slafkovsky and defenceman Jayden Struble as positives.

“We see a progression,” he said. “I must admit, I think the coaches are doing a super job considering we’ve had so many injuries. We don’t have enough depth, we know that. These are things we’re hoping to have but we’re not there yet.”

Offensive woes

Where the Canadiens do have depth, is on defence.

Mike Matheson, David Savard, Kaiden Guhle, Struble, Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic make up Monday’s defence group. The club also has healthy-scratch Justin Barron, current American Hockey League players Arber Xhekaj and Logan Mailloux, and highly touted prospects Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher.

Montreal has 31 goals by defencemen this season, which ranks second in the NHL. The team’s 81 goals by forwards is second-last.

Captain Nick Suzuki leads the team with 35 points in 42 games. Winger Cole Caufield, who scored 26 goals in 46 games in last season, has just 12 through 42.

Might Hughes look to swap some of his defensive depth for help on offence?

“Where we have chances to rebalance the ledger, so to speak, we’ll pursue them,” he said. “Do I feel like we have a gun to our head to do that right now? No, not at all.

“Are we looking to add offence to this group? Yeah, no question about it,” he later added. “(We could) either use young players that we have — (where) we feel there’s just a logjam at the position — or draft picks.

“We’ve got 22 picks over the next two years — do I expect that we’ll use all 22? In a perfect world, no.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2024.