At some point, the Habs are going to have to start moving away some of their young prospects on the back end. Recent history suggests that they’re going to need to proceed carefully when they decide to pull the trigger on a move.

The Habs came out of the All-Star break on Tuesday and got off to a great start in Washington, scoring three goals in the first period. They were able to hold that lead the rest of the way, collecting the 5-2 victory.

The Habs pulled the trigger early on a Sean Monahan trade, sending him to Winnipeg on Friday for a first-round and a conditional third-rounder in 2027. Having had some time to ponder the move, our writers offer up their assessments.

With the Habs needing centre depth, they’ve turned to the AHL, announcing on Sunday that they’ve signed Brandon Gignac to a two-year, two-way contract.  In addition, Lucas Condotta was also recalled from Laval.

Last year, the Habs weren’t able to trade Sean Monahan due to injury.  That won’t be the case this time around as on Friday, Montreal traded the centre to Winnipeg for a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 third-rounder. 

The first month of 2024 certainly had its highs and lows for the Habs, featuring some of their best and worst games of the season.  Amidst the inconsistency on the scoreboard, some players stood out among the rest.  Who were their top performers? Make your picks for our monthly three stars.

Topics in this edition of the HW Podcast include Brendan Gallagher’s suspension for his elbow on Adam Pelech, Juraj Slafkovsky’s continuing improvement, Cole Caufield’s recent point streak, and more.

The Habs didn’t have the most successful of weeks heading into the All-Star break but they were at least able to put forth two of their better efforts, one of which was overshadowed by Brendan Gallagher’s reckless and dangerous elbow which rightfully landed him a suspension.

Jake Allen had a strong showing in Pittsburgh on Saturday night but it wasn’t quite enough as Marcus Pettersson’s goal midway through overtime gave the Penguins the 3-2 victory.

The Habs will be without Brendan Gallagher for a little while as the Department of Player Safety announced that the winger received a five-game suspension for his hit on Islanders defenceman Adam Pelech on Thursday night.