Stu Cowan: Sean Monahan would love to come back again with Canadiens

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Canadiens followers may spend the low season questioning what may have been if Sean Monahan stayed wholesome.

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He can be questioning the identical factor.

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What number of extra factors may Monahan have registered if he hadn’t been restricted to 25 video games, posting 6-11-17 totals? How far more may the youthful gamers have discovered from him on the ice as a teammate and the way far more would he have helped of their growth? Would GM Kent Hughes have been in a position to purchase one other first-round draft decide by transferring the 28-year-old ahead on the commerce deadline?

These questions won’t ever be answered as a result of Monahan’s season ended on Dec. 5 and he’s now recovering from surgical procedure to restore a torn groin. The groin harm got here on account of Monahan taking part in on a damaged foot.

When Monahan confirmed up for a recreation in Calgary on Dec. 1 he was sporting a plastic strolling forged on his proper foot. He performed in that recreation, logging 20:08 of ice time and choosing up two assists in a 2-1 victory over the Flames. Monahan had spent the earlier 9 seasons with the Flames, who traded him to the Canadiens final August, throwing in a first-round decide at subsequent yr’s NHL draft to eliminate the ultimate season of his contract with a salary-cap hit of US$6.375 million so they may signal free-agent Nazem Kadri to a seven-year, US$49-million deal.

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Monahan had surgical procedure on his proper hip final low season after having surgical procedure on his left hip the yr earlier than. Throughout his time in Calgary, Monahan additionally had wrist surgical procedure, two hernia surgical procedures and groin surgical procedure.

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After the sport in Calgary, Monahan performed two extra video games on his damaged foot — in Edmonton and Vancouver — earlier than his season got here to an finish.

In hindsight, does he remorse taking part in on a damaged foot?

“It was positively a part of the (groin) harm that I bought,” Monahan stated final Friday, when Canadiens gamers met with the media for the final time this season. “I remorse it, for certain. However, on the finish of the day, it was my alternative and I actually wished to play that recreation towards Calgary. it now, I remorse it. However, on the similar time, I can’t change something.

“I used to be taking part in with a damaged foot,” Monahan added. “You begin to compensate in several methods once you’re doing that, strolling with a boot and form of skating with a limp and whatnot. I damage my groin. It’s all mounted now and I’m trying on the future. I feel all the pieces’s mounted, I’m feeling good. I’m trying ahead to get again on the ice and play hockey once more.”

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Monahan has already began off-ice coaching and expects to be skating once more in two weeks.

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“My hips really feel nice,” he stated. “They haven’t been a problem in any respect.”

When requested about Canadiens’ medical crew permitting him to play on a damaged foot, Monahan stated: “It’s at all times your alternative. I’ve performed via loads of accidents in my profession and I’ve performed via a damaged foot a number of instances. It was my alternative. I actually wished to play that recreation towards Calgary. It was an essential recreation to me. I used to be there for nearly a decade and it was marked on my calendar. I bought to that. It clearly wasn’t for the perfect, however we gained that recreation.”

In the course of the recreation in Vancouver — his final of the season — Monahan was having an actual laborious time skating and went to the dressing room within the second interval with the Canadiens main 4-0. They ended up shedding 7-6 in additional time.

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“I assumed it was a good time to depart the sport,” Monahan recalled. “I wasn’t feeling nice.

“To be trustworthy, I don’t assume I’ve ever left a recreation in my profession,” he added. “In Vancouver, one thing occurred in that recreation the place I didn’t really feel proper and I couldn’t actually skate. I attempted a couple of extra shifts and ended up leaving the sport and now right here I’m at present.”

The longer term is now unsure for Monahan, who can turn out to be an unrestricted free agent this summer season. He realizes he gained’t get one other contract just like the seven-year, US$44.625-million deal he signed with the Flames, however he desires to maintain taking part in and believes there’s a crew that may signal him.

“I really feel nice proper now,” Monahan stated. “I’m hoping there’s no points and I’m fairly assured that there gained’t be. Every thing’s mounted. I work laborious in the summertime. I’ve a very good crew that I work with again house and I’m trying ahead to get wholesome and play high-level hockey once more.”

He’d prefer to play for the Canadiens once more.

“I cherished my time right here,” Monahan stated. “Made some lifelong mates in a short while. It is a crew that I feel can be aggressive actually quickly. To return again right here could be fairly particular. I don’t assume I bought to play sufficient video games right here on the Bell Centre. It will be fairly particular to come back again.”

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