This series features players the Calgary Flames drafted and—regrettably—moved on from too soon. Be prepared for pain, frustration, and anger as we delve into what could have been! Up next is the third honourable mention, Sean Monahan.
The series will consist of 10 players and five honourable mentions. The criteria for the players selected for this list were that they had a career of at least 500 NHL games, the Flames moved on from the players in their mid-20s, and the players had a noteworthy career after leaving Calgary.
It’s been a minute since our last instalment, but with the NHL Entry Draft and free agent frenzy sandwiched in between, there was plenty of news to keep us all busy!
Why is Monahan an honourable mention?
The Flames drafted Monahan sixth overall in 2013. This was a significant draft for the Flames as it kicked off the start of their last rebuild, and Monahan was the first draft pick of the new era. The Flames had three first-round picks that year, and somehow, Monahan was the only NHLer to come from it. Their other seven picks combined for 46 NHL games.
In fact, the Flames’ last pick of the draft—John Gilmour at 198th overall—played the bulk of those games, suiting up for 37. The Flames’ other first-round picks were Emile Poirier (22nd overall) and Morgan Klimchuk (28th overall). They played eight NHL games and one, respectively.
But I digress. Monahan was an excellent Flame and a fan favourite who was once thought to be the team’s next captain. Born on October 12, 1994, Monahan was one of the older players in his draft. He debuted in the NHL at age 18 against the Washington Capitals on October 3, 2013, just over three months after being drafted. He played just under 12 minutes and recorded his first NHL point—an assist. The very next night, Monahan played over 13 minutes against the Columbus Blue Jackets and scored his first NHL goal.
Monahan scored 22 goals in 75 games in his rookie season and finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting. Overall, he played 656 games across nine seasons in Calgary, scoring 212 goals and 462 points. He sits seventh all-time in goals scored by a Flames player; if he had just four more goals in the Flaming C, he would have broken into the top five, passing legends Al MacInnis and Lanny McDonald. His 462 points as a Flame are good for 11th all-time and only eight shy of the top 10.
Monahan scored 47 game-winning goals as a Flame, which is good for third all-time. His 11 overtime goals are tied for first all-time with Johnny Gaudreau. He also sits second all-time in faceoffs won with 5,475, behind current captain Mikael Backlund.
What did the Flames have to show for Monahan?
Hard to look at all this and see a player who got away, right? What does the first line say? “Moved on from too soon.” Don’t worry; I’m getting to it now!
Monahan was plagued with injuries at the tail-end of his time with the Flames. He played a reduced role throughout the 2021–22 season, averaging 14:04 TOI and scoring only eight goals and 23 points in 65 games.
Following a rough 4–1 series loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs that year, Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk both sought greener pastures. One of them found those pastures; Tkachuk has played in back-to-back finals and won the Stanley Cup this year. Gaudreau has seen his team draft third and fourth overall in those two years.
After the departures of Gaudreau and Tkachuk, General Manager Brad Treliving and the Flames were in panic mode. In a bid to keep the team competitive, the Flames dealt Monahan with a first-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for future considerations to clear cap space so they could sign free agent Nazem Kadri to a long-term deal.
Lo-and-behold, Monahan became healthy again. He scored 19 goals and 52 points while also winning 55.1% of faceoffs in 74 games over parts of two seasons for the Habs. He fetched them another first-round pick from the Winnipeg Jets in the weeks leading up to this year’s trade deadline. Monahan scored 13 goals and 24 points with a 54.7% faceoff rate for the Jets. His resurgence recently earned him a five-year, $27.5 million ticket with the Blue Jackets.
Summarizing how costly the Flames’ mistake was (and could be)
Let me make the last section abundantly clear: the Canadiens received two first-round picks without giving anything up. That’s a masterclass of management skills by GM Kent Hughes.
The Flames sold so low on Monahan that they had to pay someone to take him, and that mistake has already come back to bite them. The organization could have an extra first-round pick and a top-six centre right now, or even two extra first-round picks if they were more patient. With their direction now, two extra firsts would be nice.
Instead, a trade that’s already looking bad for the Flames can get even worse over the next year. Given how good the Florida Panthers are, it’s a very small chance, but there is a scenario where the Flames could have to send Montreal a top-ten pick next year. This would require Florida’s 2025 pick be a lottery pick and slide to 2026 instead as a condition of the Tkachuk trade. If that pick slides to 2026 and the Flames’ own pick is in the two-to-ten range, Montreal gets the Flames’ 2025 first. Yikes! All aboard the Panthers bandwagon!
Trading Monahan when they did was a big mistake that still holds the potential to devastate the Flames.
Do you agree with our assessment of the Flames’ handling of Monahan? Let us know your thoughts!
Check out all of The Win Column’s posts from this series:
Main list: #10 Jonas Hoglund | #9 Robert Svehla | #8 Travis Moen | #7 Steve Begin | #6 Sam Bennett | #5 Dion Phaneuf | #4 Derek Morris | #3 Jarret Stoll | #2 Craig Anderson | #1 Cory Stillman
Honourable mentions: #5 Michael Nylander | #4 Jean-Sebastien Giguere | #3 Sean Monahan | #2 Marc Savard | #1 Martin St. Louis
