Sean Monahan is healthy and will play for Habs this upcoming season

In case you some how, some way missed yesterday's blockbuster news, free agent forward Nazem Kadri signed a 7 year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames, forcing the Flames to trade forward Sean Monahan to the Montreal Canadiens.

It was a 'big moves' kind of day for Flames GM Brad Treliving on his 53rd birthday yesterday, but given all the big moves he's made this offseason it must have seemed like just another Thursday at the office.

But, while most of the attention has been on Kadri and the Flames, let's not forget that about Monahan. The 27 year old has seen his production dip the past few seasons mostly due to injury, but he's looking forward to getting back to his old self with a new opportunity in Montreal. He put up just eight goals and 23 points in 65 games, a far cry from his career high of 34 goals and 82 points back in 2018-19. There will be plenty of opportunity for him to put up points in Montreal, given that the team's top 9 forward group is pretty thin. Outside of Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson and Evgeni Dadonov, there's not much competition for Monahan in the top six or top nine. 

Yesterday, Monahan himself met with the media and expressed his excitement at joining Le Bleu, Blanc et Rouge:

"I've put in a lot of work this summer. Right now, I'm back on the ice 4 times a week. It's been a long time coming for me to feel healthy. I'm excited to play hockey again on a high level and I'm excited to join the Canadiens."

- Sean Monahan

Personally, I'm hoping that I just hope he's able to put his injury woes behind him and get his career back on track because I think he can be a valuable forward when healthy. Yes, he has been plagued by injuries but it's also no coincidence that his point totals fell off after he was removed from the team's top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. With the emergence of center Elias Lindholm as the Flames' top line pivot, Monahan was relegated to the second line and even struggled to produce as the team's third or fourth line center. We'll get an opportunity to reinvent himself in Montreal and earn another contract either with the Habs or as a free agent.