The Calgary Flames announced on Friday that they have
reached an agreement on a seven-year contract with Sean Monahan.
Monahan, 21, finished in second place on the Flames with 27
goals. Five of his goals were game winners and seven were on the power play, for
Calgary. In 81 games during the 2015-2016 campaign, he added 36 assists to give
him 63 points on the season.
Monahan said, “This is
where I wanted to be, and a seven-year commitment is huge. I would not want to
be anywhere else.”
Chosen by the Flames with the sixth overall pick in the 2013
National Hockey League Entry Draft, he has scored 80 goals and 79 assists, in
237 regular season games. Over the course of his three seasons he has only
missed nine games.
Last month, Monahan told TSN, that he preferred a longer
contract, as opposed to a shorter bridge deal, as he wanted to have a sense of security
in his hockey career.
In July he said, “I definitely
want to be here a long time. So I would prefer a longer-term contract, but that
is not up to me to decide. So I think I want to be there, I want to be in
Calgary for the rest of my career, so that is something I am looking forward to
doing.”
For the past two seasons, Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, 23,
have played together on the same line. The two forwards have combined for 112
goals and 155 assists as line mates.
The Flames have also been negotiating to resign Gaudreau this
offseason as well. The restricted free agent, led Calgary with 30 goals and 48
assists, last season.
Monahan added, “If you
are a high-end player and you are playing at a young age, that is where your
heart is and that is where you want to win. Our goal is to bring a Stanley Cup to
Calgary, so if that is what it is, that we can bring other players in, to have
a little extra money room and get them in to help us be a better team, I think
that is the idea.”
Monahan will represent Team North America during the World
Cup of Hockey, which runs from September 17 through October 1, at the Air
Canada Centre in Toronto.
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