The Habs made a surprise move this week with the acquisition of Sean Monahan and a first-round pick from Calgary. Our writers offer up their thoughts on the swap.

With Sean Monahan’s acquisition, many were expecting a follow-up move to be made.  There wasn’t and GM Kent Hughes indicated why on Thursday, stating that Carey Price will be on LTIR to start the season.

The Habs made an addition down the middle back at the draft when they picked up Kirby Dach from Chicago.  They added another centre on Thursday when they picked up Sean Monahan from Calgary along with a conditional 2025 first-round pick in exchange for future considerations.

There’s not a lot going on with the Habs both on and off the ice. With the progress their new management team has made, the lack of talking points certainly isn’t a bad thing.

The right side of Montreal’s back end has been an issue in recent years and with both Shea Weber and Jeff Petry gone, it will continue to be an issue for a while. However, they do have some prospects in the system that will provide some hope for the future.

Expectations were high for Christian Dvorak heading into last season and he didn’t meet them. However, with a strong finish following the coaching change, could he be in line for bigger things in 2022-23?

Montreal’s newest centre Kirby Dach is in need of a new contract and remains a restricted free agent. While many feel that the Habs have to make a trade first in order to sign him, that’s not necessarily the case.

Throughout his career, Josh Anderson has shown flashes of becoming a quality top-six power forward but he has yet to be able to do consistently. Now set to play a full season in a more offensive-oriented system, will the winger have a breakout year?

The vacancy behind the bench created by the departure of Luke Richardson has been filled as the Habs named Stephane Robidas as an assistant coach.