Monahan agrees to 1-year contract with Canadiens

Sean Monahan agreed to a one-year, $1.985 million contract to stay with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

"I really enjoyed my time in Montreal last year and it being cut short, being injured, I felt I owe it to myself to give it another shot in Montreal. I owe it to the fans and I owe it to the organization," Monahan said Wednesday. "They gave me a great opportunity from Day One when I came in there. The coaches were unbelievable and I have a great relationship with them ... I'm very happy to get something done to come back and play for the Canadiens."

The 28-year-old forward could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 25 games for the Canadiens this season. He didn't play after Dec. 5 because of a lower-body injury.

"The biggest thing for me is to have a full, healthy season and help the Canadiens push to try and get into a playoff spot," Monahan said. "We have a lot of pieces that are going to be hungry to prove themselves, a lot of guys that have to take steps in the right direction. We have a great group of guys, and I'm real excited to be a part of that."

Monahan has missed 12 games or more each of the past four seasons and is hoping to play at full strength in 2023-24.

"I would say I'm as close to 100 percent as I have been in four or five years," he said. "I'm ready to prove it to myself that I'm still a real good player in this league and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to show that to everybody."

Monahan was acquired by Montreal in a trade with the Calgary Flames on Aug. 18, 2022, with a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft for future considerations.

Selected by Calgary in the first round (No. 6) of the 2013 NHL Draft, Monahan has 479 points (218 goals, 261 assists) in 681 regular-season games for the Canadiens and Flames, and 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 30 Stanley Cup Playoff games.