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In Hainsight: Monahan Stays, Price Goes |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
When Kent Hughes traded for Sean Monahan last offseason, we didn’t know how good of a move it would turn out to be. While the center had to sit out most of the season because of injuries, when he was healthy and able to play, he looked very good on the ice. Not only did he get 17 points in 25 games, but he was a versatile forward who could play both center and wing and he clicked pretty well with Suzuki and Caufield. The plan had been to flip him for picks at the trade deadline, but his injuries made that impossible.
As a result, doubt about his health status for the rest of the league hasn’t been cleared and he couldn’t hope to sign a lucrative deal on the free agent market this summer. Kent Hughes decided to offer him a one-year extension with a $1,985,000 and an AAV of $2,000,000 since it includes a $15,000 bonus when he hits 26 games played. Monahan who will turn 29 in October gets another chance to show his value to the league and the Canadiens get a do-over. If they are sellers at the trade deadline (which is likely) and the center is healthy, they’ll get to flip him for assets.
I was told on Twitter that I was too hasty talking about flipping him and that the player deserved stability, but stability isn’t what Monahan is after, he’s after a chance to prove how useful he can be to a team to be able to sign a more lucrative contract next offseason. If it doesn’t look like the Canadiens will make the playoffs, he’ll be more than happy to get an opportunity to keep playing with a contender next Spring.
By bringing Monahan back, Hughes gets a player who is hugely appreciated in the room and makes his team stronger, which fits with the fact that both Hughes and Gorton said that expectations would be higher next season and the Habs would be expected to battle for a playoffs spot. That doesn’t mean they’ll make it to the playoffs, but what it does mean is that the hope is they won’t be out of contention by Christmas time. The Canadiens are a better team with Monahan than without him.
This signing also means that Monahan is healthy right now, both the foot and groin injury he suffered last season have healed and he wants to show that he’s not running on empty and can still perform. This is a player who scored 20 goals or more in 7 seasons, breaking the 30-goal barrier twice and he’s yet to hit 30 years-old if ever someone deserved an opportunity to show he can still perform, it’s Monahan. Furthermore, it's nice to see that Monahan decided to sign this showcasing and cap friendly deal with the team that was willing to give him a chance last season, that's a classy move by the forward.
Meanwhile, just as the Canadiens were announcing the Monahan extension, Angela Price was sharing pictures of the Price family saying farewell to their home and neighbors in Montréal. With the school year being over, Carey Price is taking his family back to BC for good. The goaltender will be back in Montreal for training camp, but only to undergo the medical that will declare him unfit to play and allow him to stay on LTIR. This truly is the end of an era in Montreal, the goaltender put his name everywhere in the Canadiens’ record book and was the face of the franchise for so many years. It’s a shame that he was never able to win the Stanley Cup, but what a career he had! Thank you for the memories Carey Price and enjoy retirement (even though there are still 3 seasons left before it can officially be called retirement).
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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