Sean Monahan Out For Remainder Of Regular Season

The Calgary Flames will shut down Sean Monahan for the rest of the season according to Wes Gilberton of the Calgary Sun, after playing through two significant injuries for quite some time. Monahan has played in 74 of 75 games despite the injuries, but with the recent losing streak taking Calgary all but out of the playoff picture, his season will now end. Surgery is next for the 23-year old, though the details are still unclear on what the injuries are.

Even though the Flames have put together a disappointing season, not much of the blame can be placed on their young center. Despite fighting injury, Monahan was able to record a career-high 64 points and tallied a league-leading 11 game-winning goals. While Johnny Gaudreau has continued to rack up points, Monahan is a responsible two-way presence that the team will continue to build around. With Mikael Backlund signing an extension, the Flames will have their top two center spots locked up long-term.

The question now for the Flames is how to turn the roster into the Stanley Cup contender they were expected to be. Sitting eight points out with just seven games remaining, Calgary is also looking at a long wait at the draft table before adding any assets. If they actually decide to trade for a first-round pick, it will likely come with a shakeup of the NHL roster. You can bet Monahan won’t be part of that shakeup, especially after his gutsy performance this season.