Sean Monahan is done for the season.

The National Hockey League is home to one of the most physically grueling and punishing leagues in all of sports, one that takes a tremendous toll out of the athletes that play in it night in and night out for our entertainment. Sometimes that toll can get the best of a player and for some time now it has appeared as though that may be the case for Calgary Flames forward Sean Monahan.

Monahan, a former 1st round draft pick (6th overall) of the Calgary Flames at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and a former multi time 30 goal scorer, has been a diminished player playing in a diminished role this season, but now even that has come to an end. Once again it would appear as though injuries have gotten the best of the 27 year old flames centerman and once again it will require surgery to repair the damage that has been done.

As a result of this news the Flames officially announced on Saturday thay Monahan would be placed on long term injured reserve for the remainder of the season, with there seemingly being no hope of having him make a return from what has been described as season ending hip surgery.

The future for Monahan now seems uncertain given his current injury and current contract status. Monahan was already a diminished version of himself prior to this surgery and there's no guarantee what kind of player he will be next season even if he does make a full recovery. The veteran forward is still under contract with the Flames for one more season beyond this current season but he carries a hefty cap hit of $6.375 million per season. That is a big chunk of cap space for the Flames especially when you consider that in 65 games this season Monahan produced just 8 goals while adding 15 assists for 23 points in 65 games.

Monahan now has a long road to recovery ahead of him regardless of what may come next in his hockey career, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.