The Bruins find themselves atop not just the Atlantic Division or the Eastern Conference but the NHL. The 30-4-4 Boston Bruins are enjoying the best start to the season in franchise history as they continue to find ways to win each game. The team has been able to stay pretty healthy as they have had to weather the storm a few times, especially early on as they awaited the returns of Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. They now must find a way to win without first-line winger Jake DeBrusk is out a minimum of four weeks with a fractured fibula and was placed on LTIR.
Thanks to their hot start, the Bruins will once again be buyers at the March 3rd trade deadline and, per usual, have been linked to a handful of names. The Bruins must first create cap space if they wish to bring in an outside player.
While the Bruins are set to be buyers at the deadline, another original six-team and division rival will, without a doubt, be sellers at this year’s trade deadline. The Montreal Canadiens are currently 26th in the NHL with a 15-18-3 record and 33 points. The rebuild continues north of the border, as they could end up having two top-ten picks in this year’s draft.
The Habs have several pending UFAs, as well as other players on the trade block, that they’re willing to trade away for the right price as they accumulate assets to build the future. These next two months, expect the Habs to be busy working the phones as they attempt to unload. One of those players generating interest among teams is forward Sean Monahan.
And according to Yvon Pedneault of TVA Sports, the Boston Bruins are one of those teams.
(Translated from French):
”Sean Monahan attracts attention. I’ve been told that the Boston Bruins are currently on the Monahan case.”
‘’Several other teams could be tempted to acquire him. Sean Monahan is an interesting rental player candidate. The center position is always highly coveted at this time of year.”
While many may be wondering why the Bruins would be targeting a center, it comes down to the fact the Bruins have just Charlie Coyle under contract beyond this season. Some sources have reported that one of the major snags in the David Pastrnak contract situation is the lack of center talent going forward.
While Monahan may not be the player he once was due to a handful of injuries, he is still a 29-year-old center with seven 20-goal or more seasons to his name. It could be argued that if the oft-injured center could find the right fit say a line comprised of Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak, he would regain the same stats that once made him a highly touted center in the league.
Monahan had a strong start to his first season with the Canadiens but hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury on December 6th against the Seattle Kraken.
On the season, the veteran center has six goals and 11 assists in 25 games. He is currently on the injured reserve. He would be an improvement over Tomas Nosek on the fourth line and would give Monahan an opportunity to prove to the Bruins why they should re-sign him at the conclusion of the season if acquired.
