Deal concluded between Montreal and Calgary: Hughes really stole the show with the addition of Sean Monahan, and here's why

A little over a year ago, in the past August, Kent Hughes finalized a trade with the Calgary Flames to add forward Sean Monahan.

We can say today that it was a steal.

Why? For several reasons.

First, here's a reminder of the trade:

Sean Monahan, plus a conditional first round pick in 2025 (TO MONTREAL), in return for future considerations. (TO CALGARY)

So here's why it's a big hit for the General Manager.

First, Monahan has just re-signed with Montreal and could bring another first round pick to the Canadiens at the next trade deadline, according to many experts.

Second, Monahan appears to be in full health. So it's already a big successful bet in this sense.

Thirdly, and this is the most major development and the point of this article, things are really not going well in Calgary.

No less than four very important players from the team do not wish to extend their contract with the organization at the end of the next season.

So they could lose four pillars of their team, which would obviously have a major impact on their results and their position in the standings.

Indeed, according to information reported by Frank Seravalli, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Mikael Backlund will test the free agent market in the summer of 2024.

The fourth player who had raised the same interest was Tyler Toffoli, but he has already been traded to New Jersey.

Imagine if the Flames lose all their best players, find themselves in rebuild, and finish far down in the standings for a few seasons.

That's a real possibility!

In these conditions, a top-15 pick could well materialize for Kent Hughes. (all of this, for having welcomed a solid player in Monahan)

A case to watch!

After the Panthers, it will now be the Flames' turn to be closely watched by the fans of the Montreal Canadiens.