Every year, players reveal in their season-ending interviews that they had been playing through injuries and would require surgery. Not many announce that they’ve already undergone four procedures. That’s what Sean Monahan revealed to reporters today, including Jermain Franklin of TSN who reports the Calgary Flames forward had reconstructive surgery on his wrist, along with procedures on both hips and his groin.
Monahan last played on March 21st, and expects to be back to full strength in three months. That means he’ll be ready for Flames training camp, and will try to help the team rebound from an utterly disappointing 2017-18.
Despite playing with injuries for much of the year, Monahan still set a career-high in points with 64 and scored a team-leading 31 goals. The 23-year old center is an exceptional offensive player, and looks ready to take the next step to becoming one of the elite two-way players in the game. Along with Johnny Gaudreau, who also set a career-high with 84 points, Monahan was one of the few positives in Calgary this season. A season that began with high hopes after the acquisitions of Travis Hamonic and Mike Smith quickly turned to disappointment and an early trip to the golf course.
Calgary missed the playoffs for the seventh time in nine years, and now face a very long wait at the upcoming draft. While they already signed Mikael Backlund to a long-term extension, they have other important decisions to make about how to improve a club that was built to contend this season.