Sean Monahan would have accepted less money to play for the Canadiens

Last summer, Sean Monahan agreed to a one-season contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

Many applauded Kent Hughes when we found out the amount of his pact ($1.985 million), because we knew the veteran was useful to the club last year.

And with his injury history, seeing him sign for so little was good news in itself.

Sean Monahan has shown since the start of his career that he can be an important part of a hockey club. He’s reliable in all three zones of the rink, and his offensive touch makes him a consistently dangerous player on the ice.

That’s why there was interest in his services last summer. Even so, according to Mathias Brunet, who was on Martin Lemay’s show on BPM Sports…

The player would have accepted less money to play for the Habs:

I found out today: Monahan turned down more money elsewhere than in Montreal. – Mathias Brunet

The La Presse journalist goes on to say that it made sense for him, because playing for the Habs allows him to play more to increase his value:

A five-year, $25 million contract for Sean Monahan?@mathiasbrunet and @MartinLemay couldn’t agree on the question. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/SpQAzq517F

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) January 18, 2024

Martin Lemay claims he’s ready to offer him a five-year contract valued at $5 million per season, but Mathias Brunet disagrees because Monahan is (already) 29.

Sure, by signing Monahan for five years, the Habs open the door to having a versatile player for the end of the rebuild.

A seasoned veteran who can help the youngsters with the team… But the player is too injury-riddled to believe he’ll be healthy in the long term.

And therein lies the problem.

Monahan is an important player for the Habs right now, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. But will he still be in three years’ time, when the youngsters have matured and the Habs are ready to compete?

Knowing his medical history, we can only wonder whether he’ll still be performing well in two or three years’ time. And if he can’t keep up, the Habs are going to have a problem on their hands.

Barring any major surprises, let’s not forget that the forward is expected to leave the Habs before the trade deadline… And that, according to David Pagnotta, the asking price for his services would be a first-round pick or a second-round pick with a prospect. It’s worth remembering.

Breaking news

– Big loss for the Golden Knights.

NHL : At least a month without Jack Eichel, David Jiricek in the LAHhttps://t.co/VmQl1njlcF

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– The weapon of #22.

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– Ovi is back.

– Great news.