Canadiens appreciate Monahan impact, moving on after trade

WASHINGTON -- Thanks to the break for 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, the Montreal Canadiens have had a few days to process what was lost when Sean Monahan was traded to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

Although Monahan was one of their top forwards, the Canadiens vowed not to change their approach when they resume play without him against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MNMT, TSN2, RDS).

"It's sad, but we cannot do anything about it, and we just have to focus on the next game," Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky said. "He's not here anymore and we miss him, but we're just going to play our game and play hard no matter who is in."

With Monahan in the final season of his contract and eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, the trade, in which the Canadiens received a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft, was not unexpected. Only the timing, five weeks before 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8, was a little surprising.

"It probably happened before, earlier than we thought probably," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "So, I think that we were all ready for an impact. The League keeps going. It happens to a lot of teams. I think we've been a group that understands that we're going to lose guys. We lost a lot of guys to injuries last year, this year.

"Now you lose a guy via trade, and I think our mindset is staying the same. I think we've always had that next man up, let's go and keep going [approach]."

The Canadiens (20-21-8) remain on the fringe of the Stanley Cup Playoff race, 10 points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, with 33 games remaining. They know if they're going to climb back into contention, they can't afford to waste any games feeling sorry for themselves about losing Monahan.

"That's true," forward Cole Caufield said of chasing a playoff spot. "That's what we're after and there's a bunch of games left to get that done. Every game counts, every game matters, and tonight is the start of it."

Replacing Monahan won't be easy; the 29-year-old was third on the Canadiens with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 49 games and a valuable veteran voice in their locker room.

"Obviously it [stinks] to lose a guy like Monahan, but at the same time that's the way the League is," forward Tanner Pearson said. "Especially at this time of year, you may lose some guys, and obviously Monahan was a key part and was really good for us. But you kind of just move on and go to the next day."

Pearson could be the next to be traded for Montreal. Like Monahan, the 31-year-old can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Pearson, who was acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Sept. 19. has eight points (four goals, four assists) in 30 games, and missed 19 games from Dec. 10-Jan. 20 because of an upper-body injury. He said he hasn't had any discussions with Canadiens management about his future yet.

"There's been nothing, so just going day by day really," said Pearson, a veteran of 11 NHL seasons who won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2014. "I think I've been traded enough that I know anything can happen any given day. But at the same time, I'm here and this is my team, so I'm going to do everything I can."

That's what St. Louis wants from all his players as the Canadiens continue to build for the future. Forward Brandon Gignac was called up from Laval of the American Hockey League and will take Monahan's place in the lineup. It will be the 26-year-old's second NHL game and first since March 9, 2019, with the New Jersey Devils.

The Canadiens will see what Gignac can do and hope their younger players such as Slafkovsky, 19; Caufield, 23; and defensemen Kaiden Guhle, 22; and Jayden Struble, 22, can continue to grow into bigger roles. St. Louis also hopes they remember what they learned from watching Monahan every day.

"We've had him for two years almost and all the stuff that he did for this team on and off the ice, it doesn't get lost," St Louis said. "It's been absorbed by a lot of great young players. So, we're very fortunate that we were able to have him that long."