The Montreal Canadiens opted to make some roster moves this offseason, shaking things up. One of the moves was to take on Sean Monahan and the final year of his contract. On top of taking on his contract, the Canadiens also received a conditional first-round pick down the road.
The Montreal Canadiens walk away with a player who can still impact their forward core. On top of that, they got the aforementioned first-round pick. There are a lot of conditions to it, which are described in this NHL dot com piece from around the time of the trade.
While the Habs traded for Monahan, knowing he had to undergo hip surgery, there is still a belief that he can positively impact the team’s offense in 2022-23. In a piece from last month on NHL dot com, Monahan spoke with the media about his new home and being excited to join the Habs.
He spoke about hoping to come out in 2022-23 and prove himself. He’s hoping to leave the injury woes in the past and get back on the ice to help the forward core produce offense. With that in mind, what is the outlook for Monahan in 2022-23?
Sean Monahan is hoping to revive his career with Montreal Canadiens.
The Montreal Canadiens are going to be a fun team to watch here, and Sean Monahan could be one of those players who is fun to watch. While Monahan has been in the league for nine seasons, he is only 27 years old. He’s on the “right” side of 30 with time to prove he can get back on track.
At his best, Monahan was able to score 34 goals and tally 48 assists for 82 total points over 78 games played. However, that was back in 2018-19, and things have gone downhill from there. Looking back on the 2021-22 season, Monahan’s performance was far from exciting.
Monahan played in 65 games with the Flames before his injury, where he produced eight goals and 15 assists for 23 total points. While it’s a far cry from 82 points on the season, the hope is that he can get back in the scoring column in 2022-23.
While Monahan does carry a $6.375 million cap hit for the 2022-23 season, he is an unrestricted free agent after this season. So if he struggles mightily, the Habs will be able to be just fine after this season.
But the hopes are high and should be. Monahan is working hard to get back on the ice and prove that he is 100% healthy and ready to go. According to CapFriendly’s figures, he is listed on the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR), so he will need to be activated before officially returning.
Even if he misses the start of the season, he will have the opportunity to slot back into the team’s lineup and be a valuable piece to the offense. Once he proves healthy, he has the chance to slot in as the second or third-ranked center.
Monahan should be able to get back on track and find his way during the 2022-23 season.