Since signing in Columbus, the Blue Jackets have wanted Johnny Gaudreau to be a backup player for the Calgary Flames. The problem was he was missing something. Enter Sean Monahan.
On July 1, Monahan signed a five-year contract with the Blue Jackets for an average annual salary of $5.5 million. Monahan and Gaudreau have reunited, and the Blue Jackets hope this will turn Gaudreau into the player they expected him to be when he signed him a few years ago to his seven-year, $68.25 million deal.
NHL Rumors: Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and Nashville Predators
Monahan and Gaudreau were with the Flames from the 2013-14 season through the 2021-22 season. They were the dynamic duo on the top line in Calgary for most of those years. He was a big reason the Flames went to the Stanley Cup Playoffs five times. Although the Flames only made the second round twice, there was hope in Calgary that these two young pieces would be around for a while.
Along the way, that core splits, as players choose to go elsewhere or the team decides to move on with players. We ended up here with Monahan and Gaudreau meeting in Columbus.
Gaudreau’s signing in Columbus was a big deal when it happened, and others said the same thing about Monahan’s signing. However, new GM Don Waddell has seen what these two players can do individually, and it made sense to get a starting center with a wing player.
Going back to their time in Calgary, Gaudreau and Monahan played eight-plus seasons together. According to Natural Stat Trick, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau played more than 5,500 five-on-five minutes together from 2015 to 2021. The pair outscored their opponents 271-226.
In addition, the pair combined for 351 goals and 574 assists for a total of 925 points over those eight seasons. Imagine if they could revive any magic again; they could be one of the two best players in the league.
Gaudreau scored 74 and 60 points the past two seasons, respectively. Maybe he can get back into the 80 to 90 point range when Monahan gets back into his lineup. While it is a gamble to sign Sean Monahan, given his injury history, you can’t deny what the two players have done together.
Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau Still Meshing in Columbus
Not to mention that being at a different stage in life and having a good friend and partner there will undoubtedly help. But the Columbus Blue Jackets still have an uphill climb in the Metro Division.
However, adding a player like Sean Monahan will allow the younger players to play the role they are best suited for. The depth now down the middle has Monahan at first in the center field putting Adam Fantilli at second, followed by Cole Sillinger in the three hole.
Most importantly, Boone Jenner could shift to the wing with Monahan’s arrival. But the big thing for the Blue Jackets is that offensively, they may have found the spark needed for Johnny Gaudreau to continue bringing his usual face since Sean Monahan.
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