NHL Free Agency has seen a lot of action on Monday. And the Columbus Blue Jackets got in on that action in a big way. Columbus signed veteran center Sean Monahan to a five-year contract, as first reported by The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. This contract carries an annual average value of $5.5 million per season.
The Blue Jackets had a rather rough 2023-24 campaign. Columbus had drama off the ice before the season even began. Mike Babcock resigned as head coach before even running a practice due to concerns over his treatment of players. Things did not get better as they finished near the bottom of the league. After the season, Don Waddell took over as general manager.
Monahan struggled with injuries prior to the 2023-24 season. However, he had a major resurgence this past year. In fact, his play helped earn him a trade from the Montreal Canadiens to the Winnipeg Jets. Overall, Monahan scored 26 goals and 53 points in 83 regular season games in 2023-24.
Blue Jackets reunite Sean Monahan with familiar face
One interesting aspect of this deal involves a current member of the Blue Jackets roster. Forward Johnny Gaudreau signed with Columbus back in 2022 after his time with the Calgary Flames. Now, “Johnny Hockey” will be reunited with Monahan on the Blue Jackets.
Monahan's best season in the NHL came as a member of the Flames. He scored 34 goals and 82 points for Calgary during the 2018-19 campaign. Gaudreau also had a huge season that year. He led Flames skaters with 99 points as Calgary made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, Calgary failed to get past the first round.
With the Blue Jackets, the two players should be reunited. Columbus does have two young centers who could anchor the team's top line. Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger could make a case to play on the first line to varying degrees. However, Columbus could opt to allow Monahan anchor that line and play directly with Gaudreau.
Monahan could also be a reliable presence for the young wingers on the Blue Jackets. Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakov have shown promise in the NHL over the last few seasons. And playing next to a player like Monahan could be very beneficial for their development.
Giving Sean Monahan a five-year contract certainly carries some risk for the Blue Jackets. That said, it's nice to see him receive this sort of deal given what he's gone though. And it'll be interesting to see if he can continue his resurgent form with Columbus for the next five seasons.