Sean Monahan signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. It has an average annual value of $5.5 million.
The 29-year-old forward had 59 points (26 goals, 33 assists) in 83 regular-season games for the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens last season, including 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 34 games after he was acquired by the Jets in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 2. Monahan had one assist in five Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“Well, we’ve talked about it since I’ve been here, about adding leadership to our group, and along with leadership a top forward, and I think we accomplished both,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said.
Selected by the Calgary Flames in the first round (No. 6) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Monahan has 538 points (244 goals, 294 assists) in 764 regular-season games for the Jets, Canadiens and Flames and 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 35 playoff games.
“Playing in the East just made a lot of sense for me to be closer to home,” said Monahan, who is from Brampton, Ontario. “And yeah, I mean being in a city where I've heard nothing but great things to raise your kids, so that's something I'm really looking forward to.
"Talking to Don, he's a competitive guy. He wants this team to be better right away. … Don's guidance for this team is huge, and that’s also a big reason why I joined Columbus.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report
