Back in February, the Canadiens traded forward Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets. In return, Montreal received a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the conditions have not been met for the later pick, allowing Winnipeg to retain it.
So what were they exactly?
As pointed out by CapFriendly after the Jets were knocked out of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, the Habs would have only been able to keep the pick if Winnipeg were to win the Stanley Cup this year.
Draft pick condition update:
Montreal #GoHabsGo will not receive the 2027 3rd round pick from the Sean Monahan trade.https://t.co/s4eeal9E4U pic.twitter.com/OWk3GnYZYY
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 1, 2024
The Canadiens probably won’t be too disappointed with Winnipeg’s postseason exit, though, considering they have a total of 12 picks in the 2024 draft.
And given their third consecutive finish near the bottom of the NHL standings this season, they also have the fifth-best odds of coming out with the top selection at the upcoming NHL draft lottery, with an 8.5% chance of landing the first overall pick in the draw.
Still, Montreal may not use all of their picks on prospects.
In the past two offseasons, GM Kent Hughes has made draft-day deals that saw Montreal sending away picks in exchange for young talents such as Kirby Dach (2022) and Alex Newhook (2023).
With the Habs in search of more offensive punch, few would be surprised if Hughes sacrifices some picks and/or defensive prospects for another promising forward.
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