Sean Monahan was one of the most notable players who could have become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1. Teams looking for help down the middle were surely going to pursue him, but now that is not going to occur. The Montreal Canadiens have signed the 28-year-old to a one-year, $1.985 million contract. The deal also comes with a $15,000 bonus if he plays a specific amount of games, so he could make a maximum of $2 million for the year.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension (2023-24) with forward Sean Monahan.#GoHabsGohttps://t.co/eVzGDE5kcR
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 20, 2023
After a rough 2021-22 season with the Calgary Flames, Monahan was dealt to the Canadiens last offseason. He had an excellent start with the Canadiens, posting six goals and 17 points in 25 games played. However, that is where his season would end due to multiple injuries, so his bounce-back campaign was cut short. Yet, the Canadiens were impressed enough by him to ink him to this one-year deal.
Monahan’s Fit With the Canadiens
Monahan proved to be one of the Canadiens’ most skilled players while healthy last season, and there is no reason why he cannot continue to be in 2023-24. After all, he is set to receive top-six minutes as the club’s second-line center below captain Nick Suzuki. Furthermore, Monahan will also continue to be a key part of the Canadiens’ power play because of his effective playmaking ability and smart offensive instincts.
Although Monahan is still only 28 years old, he has played in 681 games over his 10-year NHL career. Thus, he will continue to be a veteran presence for the team’s younger players. Although some may overlook this aspect of Monahan returning, it is important when noting that the Canadiens are a rebuilding team with several young talented players like Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Justin Barron, Arber Xhekaj, and Juraj Slafkovsky.
Related: 1 Free-Agent Signing Prediction for Each Central Team
Thus, Monahan should continue to be one of the club’s top forwards and leaders. That is not a bad mix for a player only carrying a $1.985 million cap hit.
Can Monahan Stay Healthy?
The big question that will follow Monahan throughout this upcoming season is his health. This is a player who has dealt with serious injury trouble over the last few seasons, with the 2022-23 campaign being the biggest example. However, when noting that he still has several months to rest before the start of next season, he should enter training camp completely refreshed.
Ultimately, even if Monahan suffers some injuries throughout next season, his cap hit is small, and he is under contract only for the year. Thus, this is a classic example of a low-risk, high-reward kind of move by the Canadiens. If Monahan stays healthy and thrives, the Canadiens will have themselves a valuable asset to work with at the trade deadline. However, they also could go the other direction and look to re-sign him long-term.
Overall, this is a move that is hard to find too many complaints about. The contract is easily affordable, and Monahan has the potential to be one of the club’s top players again. It will be intriguing to see if he can stay healthy this season and build off his strong, yet short success from 2022-23.
