(Brossard) After seasons marked by injuries and a drop in his offensive production, Sean Monahan admits that the new start he is experiencing with the Montreal Canadiens is doing him good.
Monahan played the first nine seasons of his career with the Calgary Flames, which he will face for the first time Thursday night.
The Alberta team selected Monahan sixth overall in the 2013 draft and he made his mark with the Flames the following fall.
The Brampton, Ont., native climbed all the way to 10e ranks on the list of all-time leading scorers with 462 points in 656 games. The last three campaigns have been more difficult, however, as Monahan has notably struggled with hip injuries.
Monahan, who was for a long time the center of the Flames’ first line, now found himself in a supporting role.
“Things weren’t working anymore. I was sick. I barely played anymore. I didn’t have much fun anymore, admitted Monahan after the Canadiens lost 4-0 to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. Having a fresh start was important to me. I am very happy to be here. »
Monahan was essentially given to the Canadiens by the Flames, who even traded a conditional 2025 first-round pick to the Habs to take on the forward’s contract. Monahan is in the final year of a contract with a $6.375 million payroll impact.
PHOTO LARRY MACDOUGAL, THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Sean Monahan
He quickly made his niche with the Canadiens this fall and he amassed five goals and nine assists in 22 games.
“He is pleasant to be around as a teammate. He’s a quiet leader on the team, but the younger guys are watching him,” said Cole Caufield.
Monahan, he believes he can still give more to the Canadiens.
“I keep finding my game,” he said. I still have things to prove and I can be even better. Things are slowly coming back to me. But I rediscovered the pleasure of playing hockey. »
The context of Monahan’s return to Calgary will be very different from that of Kirby Dach in Chicago last Friday.
Dach had only played three seasons with the Blackhawks and things never really worked out for him there. For his part, Monahan had good times during his nine seasons with the Flames.
“I don’t have anything to prove to them,” Monahan said. I had an honest career there. What’s going to make it special is more the life-long relationships that I’ve developed with people in the city and the organization, as well as some teammates.
“It’s going to be special, but also a little strange,” he added in the same breath.
Flames fans had an emotional night with the return of Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. We’ll have to see if they still have the emotional energy to mark the return of Monahan, who served as assistant captain in his last seven seasons with the team.