Stu Cowan: Taking a chance on Sean Monahan a savvy move by Canadiens

Veteran centre is playing without pain in hips for first time in four years and Habs also acquired a first-round pick in deal with Flames.

Author of the article:

Stu Cowan  •  Montreal Gazette

Sean Monahan is adjusting well to his new life in Montreal with the Canadiens.

So are his wife, Brittany, and their dog, a 6-year-old goldendoodle named Winston.

“They love it,” Monahan said after making his preseason debut with the Canadiens in a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday night at the Bell Centre. “My dog’s made a few friends and he’s loving it. My wife’s enjoying it. We’re getting around as much as we can and it’s been a great adjustment.”

The Canadiens acquired Monahan from the Calgary Flames on Aug. 18, along with a conditional first-round pick at the 2025 NHL draft, in exchange for “future considerations.” The Flames were looking to dump the final season of Monahan’s seven-year contract with a US$6.375 million salary-cap hit so that they could sign free-agent Nazem Kadri to a seven-year, US$49-million contract with a US$7 million salary-cap hit.

The Canadiens had salary-cap space after putting goalie Carey Price and his US$10.5-million salary on long-term injured reserve because of a knee injury and were willing to take a gamble on the 27-year-old Monahan, who had right hip labrum surgery in April. He had an identical surgery on his left hip the year before. Monahan had a long history of injuries during his nine seasons with the Flames, including wrist surgery, groin surgery and two hernia surgeries.

Last season, Monahan struggled with the Flames, posting 8-15-23 totals in 65 games. His best season was in 2018-19 when he had 34-48-82 totals.

“I know Sean has faced a lot of criticism. I think there’s a lot of bull out there, to be honest with you,” Flames GM Brad Brad Treliving said in April after announcing Monahan would require another hip surgery. “This guy plays through a lot of things. And for people to challenge or to question him is wrong. Most people out there couldn’t play through a third of what he has, and he keeps it to himself.”

Acquiring Monahan was a smart move by Canadiens GM Kent Hughes, also adding another first-round draft pick to his collection. If Monahan doesn’t perform well, his contract comes off the books after this season. If Monahan does play well, Hughes can look to deal him at the trade deadline or try to re-sign him.

It was an interesting off-season for Monahan. Apart from recovering from hip surgery, he also saw a park in his home town of Brampton, Ont., named after him in June, followed by the trade in August — the same day his car was stolen.

“I was actually talking to my insurance and my agent kept calling,” Monahan recalled. “I finally hung up on them and got the news. It was exciting news.”

Josh Anderson played on a line with Monahan and Jonathan Drouin against the Leafs and spoke afterward about the intelligence the former Flame, with 656 NHL games under his belt, displays.

“I think just his reads on the ice,” Anderson said. “He’s got the most games (in the NHL) here in this locker room. He’s a very smart player, very skilled, has a good shot. It was fun playing with him and just communicating with him on the bench. Kind of learning from him, too. He’s got a lot of experience.”

Monahan can also help Juraj Slafkovsky — the No. 1 overall pick at this year’s draft — because he knows what it’s like to make the jump directly to the NHL after getting drafted. Monahan posted 22-12-34 totals as a 19-year-old rookie with the Flames. The previous season, he had 31-47-78 totals in 58 games with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s.

“It’s just kind of trying to find your role,” Monahan said about breaking into the NHL. “Coming out of junior, you’re kind of dominating play, huge minutes and play in every situation. Once you get to the NHL, you’ve got to find a role. You’ve got to figure out what you can do to help the team. I think (Slafkovsky’s) doing that right now and it’s starting to show.

“He’s a great player,” Monahan added. “You can’t be hard on him right now. He’s getting comfortable with the league. He’s first overall for a reason. He’s a big boy, he’s got tons of skill, he drives the play and creates space for himself. He’s going to be fun to watch for a long time.”

Monahan said he felt like a rookie again before Monday’s game.

“It almost felt like my first NHL game,” he said. “I’ve never been traded. New organization, I was nervous. I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know where anything was here in the dressing room. It was good to get the first one out of the way and now the comfort level starts to rise.”

Monahan added it was the first game he has played in four years without pain in his hips.

That’s good news for him and for the Canadiens heading into this season.

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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