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Sean Monahan has found a perfect fit in the Columbus Blue Jackets.
When Monahan signed the five-year contract on July 1, the 29-year-old centreman took a few moments to wrap his mind around the opportunity.
And when he did, he found himself beaming.
“I’m most looking forward to joining a team with a mission to get better and to be a leader,” Monahan told NHLPA.com. “It’s a chance to help turn things around and be competitive as soon as possible.”
The move also gives Monahan, a player with over 750 NHL regular-season games on his resume and a trio of 30-plus goal campaigns, a chance to reunite with his good friend and former Calgary Flames teammate, Johnny Gaudreau.
Gaudreau, a seven-time NHL All-Star, who played alongside Monahan for nine seasons with the Flames, signed with the Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent in July 2022.
“I am really looking forward to being teammates with Johnny again,” said Monahan. “Johnny is motivated to have a big season and be a huge part of the team and I’m excited to have the opportunity to reignite the chemistry we had for close to a decade.
“He is an amazing teammate, person and friend. I’m looking forward to these next five years.”
Columbus, who last made the Stanley Cup postseason in 2019-20, has a respected veteran in Monahan.
The sixth overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft will be counted on to help lead the way both on and off the ice for the Blue Jackets.
“We’ve talked since I’ve been here about adding leadership to our group, and along with leadership adding a potential top forward, and I think we accomplished both of that in being able to sign Sean,” Don Waddell, the team's GM said.
“He’s a first-line centerman, a great history, and he also has worn letters in different places he’s been.”
Monahan signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens last June after a he was limited to 25 games the previous season with the club after a broken foot, followed by groin surgery.
The Ontario-born forward played 49 games with the Canadiens in 2023-24 before being dealt to the Winnipeg Jets. In all, Monahan skated in 83 games between the Canadiens and Jets last season, finishing with 26 goals and 59 points.
“I am happy to be back to myself and fully healthy,” said Monahan, who in 2016-17 became the first player from the 2013 NHL Draft to score 100 goals.
Monahan, who scored his first NHL goal against Columbus on Oct. 4, 2013 just eight days before turning 19, is looking forward to the newest chapter in his NHL career.
“Time flies. It feels like yesterday that I was drafted. I still feel young and can easily relate to the young guys in the league.
“You enjoy every part of the way and looking back at my career so far, you realize how many friendships and relationships that you make with all sorts of people that last a lifetime.”
Monahan will have both longtime and new support in the stands for his first year in Columbus.
The biggest highlight of his offseason came when he and his wife, Brittany, welcomed their first child, a son named Leo, on May 27.
“It has been so amazing and given me a whole new perspective on life,” said Monahan.
“I’m really looking forward to raising him in the great city of Columbus, surrounded by some great friends. It’s also close to family for them to come to the games.”
A perfect fit, in every way, for Monahan.
