06 Jan 2023 15:03:55
MTL : Monahan (50% retained at 3.187AAV), Edmundson (at 3.5M AAV until 2024), 2023 VGK 4th round pick

NYR : Lafreniere, Blais

NYR has around 5.3M in deadline cap space so with Blais offloaded, this trade fits under the cap.
Rangers get a solid 2nd line center rental who probably will play on their 3rd line, pushing Chytil to the wing in Lafreniere's spot. They get defensive depth for the playoffs and next year with a solid shutdown Dman in Edmundson to take Harpur's spot on the 3rd pair. They also get a 4th round pick to replace the one they already traded away

MTL gets a Quebecois, who has struggled to adjust to the NHL but with excellent potential. They also get another Quebecois who acts as a cap dump, who has underperformed but could maybe benefit from a change of scenery.

All in all, this trade is a gamble for both teams.

On one end, NY could be giving out a very good player that has been underperforming since his NHL debut. If Lafreniere reaches his projected potential, they might regret trading him for a rental and a 2nd/3rd dman, but for now, they are in a win-now mode and the pieces they are acquiring would help them make a deep push in the playoffs. It's also worth to note that they still have some very good prospects in their system with Othmann, Garand, Cuylle and Korczak, so they wouldn't be depleting their prospect pool.

On the other end, if Lafreniere ends up being a bust, trading both Monahan and Edmundson in separate trades for picks would have been more profitable for MTL. But they might end up in a similar situation as the Dach deal, with a good promising player who benefitted from a change of scenery.

06 Jan 2023 16:13:47
If you took out Lafreniere it would be closer. As is, it's an easy no for New York.

You're not offering a 2C you're offering Sean Monahan.

06 Jan 2023 16:48:51
@memarcusjoe

Monahan is on a 55pt pace on a very weak habs offence. He's been playing a lot better this year, producing points, killing penalties and having a good faceoff %. You haven't watched him this year if you don't think he's a 2C

06 Jan 2023 17:32:47
@Mustafarr

That's the key, he's on that pace on a bad team that has nothing else to play instead of him. Quality wise, he's a low, low end 3C or ideally a 4C or 13th/ 14th forward.

On a decent team he's not going to get 17 minutes a game, he'll get 6 to 8, no PP time and his production will fall to his norm. Plus he hasn't played for a month and will likely get injured again when he she's come back as his history suggests.

Let him come back from his injury and keep his production at this levels all the way to the TDL and someone might be desperate enough to take a chance on him as depth.

If you really think he's a 2C on any team outside of a bottom feeder, you haven't watched his entire career.

06 Jan 2023 18:27:34
Typical habs opinion- we got paid to take on this horrendous player but will sell him to you for your #1 overall pick.

06 Jan 2023 18:40:15
It doesn't appear to be a fit for either team.

Ultimately I think the Rangers will trade Lafrenierre, but I think that will be in the summer or next season. They are pretty patient with their prospects, as they should be.

Edmundson isn't on the market, so you'd have to make an offer they can't refuse. This ain't it. IF they were to trade Edmundson, they'd bring back more in picks or prospects trading Monahan and Eddie separately.

06 Jan 2023 19:38:51
@memarcusjoe

This proposal was written in the optic of it being made at the TDL, so yes, we would have to see more of Monahan after coming back from his injury.

But I wholeheartedly disagree with your take of him being a low end 3C. He would be a 3C rental on the Rangers, but can easily fill a 2C if needed.

This year, he was a pleasant surprise as he was driving his line and played with weak linemates, still producing close to 0.7PPG. He was also playing on the 2nd wave PP with linemates like Hoffman, Dvorak, Armia, Gallagher, just to name a few, who are all having weak offensive seasons. Play him with capable wingers and you'll get results, he's been good this season.

This offseason, he stated that it was the first time in years that he came in training camp healthy, with no lingering injuries troubling him, unlike the last few years. His "norm" is quite possibly not a 0.44PPG fringe 3rd liner like his last two years suggest, but might be closer to the years before he got his injury bug.

I think you're opinion is too slanted towards his last two years production. It's day and night compared to his last two seasons

06 Jan 2023 20:57:11
@Mustafarr

He said he felt good with no lingering injuries at the beginning of the year and what did he do? Get injured significantly again to the point that he's missed a month. That's the most consistent thing in Monahan's game. Getting injured and missing significant time.

Anyone can fluke a few guys games on a hot streak playing more minutes then they ever would on a good team.

He was traded to Montreal as a cap dump and hasn't done anything to change what he is. A smart GM can see through a few fluke games.

Could there be a desperate GM at the TDL? Sure GM's do dumb things all the time. I just can't see the Rangers or anyone else giving up a significant young player with tons of potential for a player that isn't going to make a difference on even an average team and likely won't make it through the rest of the year without missing time.

07 Jan 2023 15:21:57
@memarcusjoe

You're talking as if he still has many years on his contract. If he's healthy come the deadline and ready for the playoffs, it's the only thing that matters. His injury history is not a big risk. I do agree that GMs might be reluctant to trade for him because of that, but he's a rental

07 Jan 2023 15:25:29
Also, "Anyone can fluke a few guys games on a hot streak playing more minutes then they ever would on a good team." is true but, Monahan wasn't playing more more minutes on the ice than with CGY. During his 2020-2021 he was averaging 17:41 minutes per night with 28pts in 50 games. He's average 17:22 minutes per night this year with a way better production. Like I said, it's day and night compared to his last few years

07 Jan 2023 17:46:23
There fine and all Mustafarr, you want to rely on a small sample size for production and I prefer to look at a larger sample size.

Either way, I can't see anyone giving away a piece with such high potential left for a player that still is a cap dump.

Could you get something for him? Maybe. Will it be a ton? Unlikely.

07 Jan 2023 18:35:53
@memarcusjoe

Eh, I'm looking at a larger sample size than you. I feel like his last two seasons were outliers because of injuries. And this season might prove that.

Not saying he'll bring back a king's ransom, but there's a reason why there's talks of a first round pick ask for him

07 Jan 2023 21:01:50
@ Mustafarr

Okay, that's some interesting math there. Your sample size of 25 games is larger than my sample size of 185 games. Is that the new math they teach in school nowadays? Can you show me the formula for that?

You realize that these reports of a 1st round pick ask for Monahan are from Montreal reporters trying to get Montreal fans to click on their article right? Just like the ones about Anderson being a desirable piece.

I've already said GM's do dumb things all the time, so we can't rule it out, but if Montreal is getting a 1st, a GM is either making a horrible mistake or Montreal is taking back another bad contract or two in the exchange.

Anyways, as long as it's not Chevy being that stupid, I'm happy.

08 Jan 2023 01:18:57
Monahan is a career 60 point guy. Rakell got a 2nd+ and Copp got two 2nds+. I think these would be more realistic returns for him.

08 Jan 2023 17:42:24
@memarcusjoe

Lol. I'm talking about a larger sample size than 185 games, say his past 4 or 5 seasons, for example. His last two seasons are outliers because of injuries, and this season's production shows that he's going back to his form before the injury problems.

For the sake of answering your question, because you so politely asked, say taking into account the past 5 seasons and this one, yes 362 > 185 holds true. He scored 111 goals and 262pts during that time, for a 0.72ppg production.

CGY initially traded Monahan as a cap dump because they needed the space to sign Kadri and didn't want to take the gamble of him not being able to go back to his former self. MTL had cap space, and got pleasantly surprised to see that his play, this season, resembled way more his usual 50-60pt production seasons than his play during the last two seasons where he had lingering back problems.

Now he's injured, so if I were a GM I'd wait until he plays a few games to see if his play is on the same level as before his injury this season, but my guess is he'll be fine, because the injury holding him back these past season were back problems, and this injury isn't related to his back. A competent GM will do his due diligence

I'm not saying the trade initially proposed would happen, if I'm NY I would consider how much of my future I want to mortgage my future or if maybe I'd prefer to use a prospect like Lafreniere to obtain a player like Kane, even though he's underproducing this season.

But MTL is not trading Monahan for peanuts, that's for sure.

08 Jan 2023 17:51:06
@Ebsolutely

Yes I'd see a similar return as Copp. But it might cost a 1st for teams not willing/able to give out 2 2nds

09 Jan 2023 14:57:52
Don't think Lafreniere will be used for a trade for Monahan but I think he could be shipped in a trade for Kane for example.

Also memarcusjoe you're talking as if Monahan is the ultimate scrub lol. He's actually been good this season. I could see gms giving out interesting offers to Montreal for Monahan as a rental